Multitasking Makes You Stupid and Slow

Reverse Gear recommends a long and interesting article over at The Atlantic in which Walter Kirn talks about the scientific results that support his claim and his own experiences with multitasking: that it destroys our ability to focus. "Multitasking messes with the brain in several ways. At the most basic level, the mental balancing acts that it requires — the constant switching and pivoting — energize regions of the brain that specialize in visual processing and physical coordination and simultaneously appear to shortchange some of the higher areas related to memory and learning. We concentrate on the act of concentration at the expense of whatever it is that we're supposed to be concentrating on... studies find that multitasking boosts the level of stress-related hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline and wears down our systems through biochemical friction, prematurely aging us. In the short term, the confusion, fatigue, and chaos merely hamper our ability to focus and analyze, but in the long term, they may cause it to atrophy."

I CALL B.S. on your CALL OF B.S.

[kybred]

(BTW: "adrenaline" is a brand name for one particular company's epinephrine. It is not a chemical name. Calling ephinephrine "adrenaline" is like calling all automobiles "toyotas".)

Wikipedia [wikipedia.org] disagrees with that:

Although widely referred to as adrenaline outside of the US, and the lay public worldwide, the USAN and INN for this chemical is epinephrine because adrenaline bore too much similarity to the Parke, Davis & Co trademark adrenalin (without the "e") which was registered in the US. The BAN and EP term for this chemical is adrenaline, and is indeed now one of the few differences between the INN and BAN systems of names.

Amongst US health professionals, the term epinephrine is used over adrenaline. However, it should be noted that universally, pharmaceuticals that mimic the effects of epinephrine are called adrenergics, and receptors for epinephrine are called adrenoceptors.

Re:I CALL B.S.

[finity]

Not that it really matters, but your reference to adrenaline and epinephrine made me look it up... The Wikipedia page says you're close, but no cigar:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epinephrine#Terminology [wikipedia.org]

Re:The Brain Uses the Cerebellum to Multitask

[TrashGod]

And the recurrent cerebellar architecture reflects this automatic function: Porrill, Dean, Stone [nih.gov]

Re:True... for everyone but you of course

[Dun Malg]

First, I have yet to meet a human that does not massively multitask all of the time. Even while sleeping, your body and brain are doing lots of different tasks at the same time.

Generally when people say "multi tasking" they're talking about higher functions. Anyone can talk while taking a piss, watch TV while walking on a treadmill, or scratch their itchy ass while reading a book. This is about writing an email while talking on the phone, or driving a car while programming a destination into the GPS.

Re:The Brain Uses the Cerebellum to Multitask

[Anonymous Coward]

You clearly don't know what you're talking about.

The cerebral and cerebellar cortices perform very different tasks. The cerebellum is a much more primitive part of the brain, though it may have 50% of the brain's neurons. If "the most primitive animals" were to lack part of the brain, it would much more likely be a cerebrum, or at least a large one. One of the things that's different about humans is the massively increased size of the cerebrum -- supposedly giving us the ability to reason and whatnot.

The cerebellum handles more primitive functions of the brain, including things like balance. It also acts as a relay station, interpreting our plans to act, kind of directing traffic for the higher order functions of the cerebrum. The cerebellum cannot assume functions that the cortex would otherwise handle.

From the article:

"At the most basic level, the mental balancing acts that it requires--the constant switching and pivoting--energize regions of the brain that specialize in visual processing and physical coordination and simultaneously appear to shortchange some of the higher areas related to memory and learning."

Visual processing = occipital lobes (primarily, anyway)
Physical coordination = temporoparietal cerebral cortex + cerebellum (again, as traffic director, not primary action)
Memory and learning = amygdala and hippocampus, which are in/adjacent to the central portions of the temporal lobes.

As for the reason why people with cerebellar lesions may sometimes speak in a halting manner, it's not because of anything wrong with Broca's area (in the inferior frontal lobe of the cerebrum), it's because of issues with synthesizing what we're trying to say with the muscles actually responsible for it. People with cerebellar lesions also have ataxia (being off balance) and dysdiadochokinesia (inability to perform rapid alternating movements).

+5, really?

Re:The Brain Uses the Cerebellum to Multitask

[wannabgeek]

Same thing with passwords. When I type my password, I just let my fingers type it almost mechanically. If I "think" about what character to type, I get confused and sometimes even had my account locked up for "too many wrong attempts".

Re:MOD PARENT UP

[ml10422]

From a History of anatomy in India (http://www.jpgmonline.com/article.asp?issn=0022-3859;year=2002;volume=48;issue=3;spage=243;epage=5;aulast=Rajgopal):

"As far as the nervous system is concerned, very little is said about the brain in Indian medical literature. Bhela, author of Bhela samhita recognised the brain and considered it as the centre of the 'Manas'. Susruta was aware of atleast four pairs of cranial nerves-one 'Nila' and one 'Manya' situated on either side of larynx which when injured produced loss or change of voice (hoarseness); one pair of 'Vidhura' behind the ears which when cut produced deafness; a pair of 'Phana' inside the nose, destruction of which produced loss of smell and a pair of 'Apanga' below the eyes which if cut, would produce blindess."

Note that "manas" translates to mind, and that this is a description of Indian anatomical knowledge in roughly the same era as Siddhartha.

Re:Really

[ceoyoyo]

Doubt it. A really highly intelligent person (I expect someone who brags about an IQ of 159 on Slashdot is probably not such a person) will suck just as much at doing two jobs at once as someone who is not especially intelligent. He or she might do each job better than the second person, but both jobs more poorly than if they were done serially.

In fact, one of the marks of a highly intelligent person is the ability to concentrate on something for long periods, without being distracted. Taking IQ tests, for example.

Re:The Brain Uses the Cerebellum to Multitask

[expatriot]

I remember the study from a BBC program. In addition to the difference between women and men as an average, the study also found that some people have the other type of brain. Not related to masculin or fiminine, about 10% (from memory) of men could multitask and about 10% of women had the strong spacial skills. There have been several such studies, one is:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/theoneshow/article/2007/10/mm_brainsex.shtml [bbc.co.uk]

best 3 comment joke

[cliveholloway]

ever.

Re:stargate...

[Eagleartoo]

If you'd watched enough Stargate you would know that it is spelled Goa'uld, Tok'Ra, and Teal'C. You geek license is hereby suspended until you have completed all 10 seasons again, can name the four races, and know who Dan Shea is.

Re:The Brain Uses the Cerebellum to Multitask

[wfstanle]

To some extent you are right and in others you are wrong! I personally should know. About 10 years ago, I had a massive stroke in the cerebellum. As a result, my coordination, reaction time and other related functions are diminished. My MOTOR skills are affected but my higher brain functions are completely unaffected. I can do what many people refer to as multitask. I now have more time that was spent (not wasted) on sports and this time is spent on intellectual pursuits. I am presently working to get a PhD in computer Science. At the time of the stroke I only had a Bachelors degree. My point is that the cerebellum is involved in motor skills. Mulittasking should not be affected with the exception being that it might take a bit more time when the action needs s physical action that requires some coordination.

Piercing skin works, but chi & meridians are b

[Valdrax]

According to recent studies, acupuncture is useful as a method of back pain relief, but it is completely irrelevant where you stick the needles. [arstechnica.com] The concept of meridians and the flow of chi are compete mumbo jumbo. Sham acupuncture is as effective as real acupuncture within a reasonable margin or error (47.6% relief for real, 44.2% for sham, and 27.4% for conventional therapy).