Can You Multitask?

Multitasking is an ever-present aspect of modern society. As technology advances and role demands increase, society demands each of us to accomplish more and to do so in the most efficient way possible. But is multitasking efficient? That is a question that researchers have been exploring since the term was first coined in the 1960s, when it was originally used to describe a computer’s ability to complete multiple tasks simultaneously.

Multitasking research is diverse, and often contradictoy, in its findings. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges in examining the research on whether one can multitask centers on the definition of multitasking. For most of us, we think of multitasking as being able to do two or more things at the same time. So, this is the definition that I used to dive into learning how multitasking impacts learning, stress, and anxiety. The first thing I discovered was that multitasking for most is a misnomer, because less than 3% of the population can actually complete tasks simultaneously. These fortunate few are known as supertaskers. For the rest of us mere mortals, instead of multitasking we simply task switch. This means we switch between different tasks quickly, giving the appearance that we are doing multiple tasks at the same time. In fact, one study found that when working in front of a TV, we can not work while watching TV. Instead, we are alternating between completing our task and watching television, with an average of 4 switches a minute (Carrier, Rosen, Cheever, & Lim, 2015). Each task switch requires effort to re-orient ourselves, which potentially wastes time, effort and energy. So why are we compelled to multitask, if it requires additional effort and arguably is less efficient? If you ask this of yourself, I am sure that some universal reasons arise: time constraints to perform multiple tasks (i.e. having to make kids’ lunches while also helping with homework before bedtime), boredom (a staff meeting that has run an hour over the scheduled time), accessibility (our phones allowing for constant entertainment and stimulation), and finally FOMO (fear of missing out on the latest news, information, like or comment).

Now that we all know that we task switch continuously throughout the day (I personally have checked my email, made lunch, listened to my voicemail, and checked social media all while writing this very post) but is it efficient or beneficial to us? The research has a lot to say about effort, efficiency, and productivity. And of course, it’s complicated and sometimes contradictory. Some research has found that multitasking can increase our cortisol levels (a stress hormone that can cause longer term health concerns when maintained at high levels) while others concluded the outcome really depends on what tasks we are trying to combine. Let’s dive into the world of neurobiology for just a minute- the brain has several different areas that complete different tasks and activate different reactions within our body. Scientists have decided that our brains are only able to address one item at a time before moving to the next stimuli. This is referred to as the response-selection bottleneck, hence why we are innately task switchers, not multitaskers. Additionally, research shows us that when we attempt to learn something while multitasking, different areas of our brains are activated. So, when we sit down to read an article with no distraction, the hippocampus (an area known for storing memories about facts and events) is activated. However, when we study that same article with a competing task, the striatum part of the brain is activated (an area known for our stimulus-response reactions and habit formation). While this fact continues to be explored to better understand how we remember or create memories what is consistent is that studying with distraction leads to poor recall of information and lower test scores.

Now bear with me a bit longer as we explore the role of cortisol production when we start to multitask. Cortisol is a stress hormone that give us the ability to react when threatened. It is released by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis of our brain and evolved as an essential key to human survival. But when that area of our brain is overly active, it can cause long term harm. This is often seen within populations that have experienced trauma and prolonged stress. So, is multitasking causing a biological trauma response due to the increase in cortisol production? No, rest assured. Research has proven that something like watching tv while writing a discussion post does not cause irreparable damage. Rather, it tends to increase the activity within our brain’s first line of defense, known as the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) while decreasing our parasympathetic system, which restores our sense of calm.

For those of us that are not neurobiologists, this all boils down to when we attempt to focus on competing tasks, we can feel a heightened sense of anxiety and stress because our bodies must be on high alert to be able to switch between tasks repeatedly. The level of this stress response is directly correlated to the tasks that are competing for our attention. For instance, when we are scrolling our phone while watching tv, there is little risk associated with either task, so our stress response is low. But when we are multitasking while giving an important presentation and writing a graded assignment for a master’s program, our anxiety levels will be increased due to the heightened importance of these tasks. This triggers an increased reaction, and if our brain decides it is a big enough threat then it will release stress hormones as a reaction. So for most of us our HPA, SNS, and PNS systems we will experience limited cortisol effects from multitasking because we have a low stress and anxiety starting point. But those who might have increased levels of stress hormones and easily triggered HPA from trauma or past experiences, multitasking can have more lasting effects on stress and anxiety.

Finally, what can we do about all of this? Is there a world where we can be “monotaskers” instead of multitaskers? For most of us, it is impossible to get rid of competing tasks. Instead of vainly attempting to pare down your task focus to a single effort, researchers’ purpose that we use metacognition as a means to address the problem. Metacognition is essentially thinking about thinking. To reduce stress, instead of multitasking as a reactive decision due to a time crunch, boredom, accessibility, or FOMO, make it a conscious choice. Activate the high-level thinking parts of your brain (our rational brain) by thinking about how you are going to divide your attention. Mentally choose tasks that work well together, evaluate the importance of each task to decide if you should be task switching during completion, and if anxiety starts to increase, recognize the need to slow down and focus on a singular task for a period of time. If you are in therapy, this can be a great starting point for working with your therapist to evaluate anxiety and develop appropriate and effective coping skills to address the effects of multitasking induced anxiety.

References

Carrier, L. M., Rosen, L. D., Cheever, N. A., & Lim, A. F. (2015). Causes, effects, and practicalities of everyday multitasking. Developmental Review, 35, 64-78.

Watson, J. M., & Strayer, D. L. (2010). Supertaskers: Profiles in extraordinary multitasking ability. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 17(4), 479–485.