Do you find yourself scrolling through your phone, spending hours on trivia? Perhaps you play games while messaging your friends, or listen to music while commenting on social media posts. I have seen my parents put on a TV drama while their eyes are locked on their phones, playing candy-crush or scrolling through social media. I have also seen some students try to complete their math homework while Youtube plays in another window. All this screen-time makes me wonder how this screen-saturated life affects our cognition, attention, and focus.
These questions led me to research the effects of screen-related multi-tasking. I asked: what happens when a person is constantly fixed on the screen? What happens when someone is constantly on the screen while doing something else?
The results are shocking. First, let’s address a common-misconception: the belief that we can do more than one cognitive task at the same time. True, we can all walk and chew gum at the same time. These are motor-tasks that our bodies and brains are able to handle. However, researchers have shown us that our cognition cannot adequately handle two tasks at once. No one can do math while also read philosophy simultaneously. Have you ever tried to count something while someone else is chattering beside you, causing you to lose count? That’s because we cannot accurately count and listen at the same time. Researchers tell us that the human brain does not really multi-task; it cannot perform two functions simultaneously. When people are “multi-tasking,” the brain is toggling back and forth between two tasks. This rapid switch between tasks, in turns out, is taxing on our brains and compromises our productivity.
In 2009, Dr. Sophie Leroy discovered that when people try to multi-task, they have to direct their attention and brain power to one task and then shift that focus to another. The switch is taxing on the brain, because attention applied to one task cannot instantly be applied to another. We leave behind a residual cognitive energy on task A when shifting to task B. At the while, we attend to task B with only part of our cognitive resources, thus reducing our effectiveness. How many times have you put on a podcast or audio book while doing something else, only to realize that you have missed a whole portion of the text? Leroy has found that multi-tasking can reduce our productivity by up to 40%.
Researchers have also learned that a prolonged habit of multi-tasking erodes the brain’s ability to filter out irrelevant information. We can think of the brain as a muscle. The more we use that muscle, the stronger it gets. If we practice concentrating on a single task, the better we become in our focus. “Multi-tasking,” a misnomer, is the opposite of sustained focus. We dash one task to another, unable to direct our cognitive resources to one task. The more we “multi-task,” the more our powers of concentration starts to atrophy, leaving us more distractible, less productive. The erosion of productivity means that we require more time to complete our work.
More worrying still, other studies have identified a link between multi-tasking and decreased grey-matter in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex, the part of the brain responsible for emotional regulation, cognitive control, and decision-making. As it turns out, our ability to stay on task can also help our emotional stability and soundness of judgement. Conversely, when we do not practice sustained focus, we lose more than our concentration.
Multi-tasking is often a primary factor in experiences of burn-out, because we feel pulled in too-many directions. Our minds are over-taxed, our energy dissipated across too many activities. As a result, we need to more time to complete our work. Because our minds are tired, we feel more reluctant to take on the challenges of the day. We may turn to entertainment as respite from work, but we cannot seem to muster the attention stay with a show or a game, so we tune into something else, thereby perpetuating the multi-tasking cycle. People who feel burnt-out report feeling less joy in life. Ordinary activities lose their colour and freshness. They drink coffee, but are not entirely tasting the flavours. They hang out with their kids, but they are not really present. They go through the motions, but are not fully alive.
Think of our screen-saturated culture as the brain’s equivalent of the agricultural-industrial complex. The screen is to the brain what sugar and fat is to the body. We are wired to desire sugar and fat, but too much of it can do us harm. The same is true of screens. Just as excess sugar and fat can lead to diabetes and heart-disease, excessive screen-time can lead to a compromised brain.
There is hope. The brain can be diminished by screen-use, but it can also heal itself. A wealth of research has indicated that meditation can help to repair the structures in the brain that have been damaged by prolonged habit of multi-tasking. Other studies have shown that meditation can increase thickness and density in parts of the brain that correlate with executive function, focus, emotional regulation, and memory. I have written previously about how mindfulness practice helps us return to the present, increasing our capacity to experience the fullness of our lives. This a simple and beautiful practice that can help sooth our frazzled minds and repair our tattered brains.
If you are interested in practicing mindfulness, I have a few easy exercises to help you get started.
If you are a multitasker and feel burnt-out, please give yourself lots of patience and kindness. Our gadgets and apps are designed to keep us addicted; they exploit the features of our animal brains. Knowing this can empower you to make healthier decisions about how to use your attention. By reducing multi-tasking, giving yourself more time devoted to a single task, you are reclaiming your brain’s ability to focus. Meditation/mindfulness practice is one of the most effective ways to refine your attention, to rebuild your ability to focus.
