Brain, Interrupted

finance.yahoo ^ | Tue, May 7, 2013 6:17 PM EDT | By Bob Sullivan and Hugh Thompson

[BenLurkin]

...

Does the mere possibility that a phone call or e-mail will soon arrive drain your brain power? And does distraction matter — do interruptions make us dumber? Quite a bit, according to new research by Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Lab.

There’s a lot of debate among brain researchers about the impact of gadgets on our brains. Most discussion has focused on the deleterious effect of multitasking. Early results show what most of us know implicitly: if you do two things at once, both efforts suffer.

In fact, multitasking is a misnomer. In most situations, the person juggling e-mail, text messaging, Facebook and a meeting is really doing something called “rapid toggling between tasks,” and is engaged in constant context switching.

As economics students know, switching involves costs. But how much? When a consumer switches banks, or a company switches suppliers, it’s relatively easy to count the added expense of the hassle of change. When your brain is switching tasks, the cost is harder to quantify.

[UCANSEE2]

I can see why it took two of them to write this piece.

[USMCPOP]

“...But there has been scant research on the quality of work done during these periods of rapid toggling...”

I don’t get much work done when I’m “rapid toggling”, but it feels good for a few minute after.

[expat2]

Multitasking should be avoided wherever possible. Even if it were as efficient as doing tasks sequentially, it is a mistake:

Consider 3 tasks needing to be done for your 'customers' and each takes say 30 mins total. If they are done in parallel, all 3 are completed after 90 mins, delaying completion for all three 'customers'. If done sequentially, one tasks is completed at the 30 mins point, pleasing that customer, and the second is completed at the 60 mins, somewhat pleasing that one.

And, of course, you do also have the clear-the-brain effect discussed in the article.

[Billthedrill]

Nonsense. It just takes concentration. I can posting to FR the remote banana chips synthetic with no problem at all.

[knarf]

Sign Seen In My Local Barbershop;

DRINK COFFEE,
DO STUPID THINGS FASTER
WITH MORE ENERGY

[BlackVeil]

I can see why it took two of them to write this piece.

LOL! Triple LOL!

[BenLurkin]

http://www.johnspeedie.com/healy/saywhat.wav

[ottbmare]

I’m losing my ability to concentrate on much of anything in my office. The phone ringing, the fax machine buzzing, the copier, the computers, the printers, the receptionists giggling, patients asking questions—if I’m trying to work or read, I can’t accomplish anything anymore. These constant interruptions as I try to concentrate are so distracting and exhausting. I’m really getting worried about it.

[Hardastarboard]

TV commercials, texts, emails, phone calls, advertisements of all sorts, have all combined to retrain my brain so that I have ADD so bad that I

[Nea Wood]

You’re not alone. Where I work, the interruptions are sometimes constant. Every time I’m interrupted, it totally throws me off. I wish I could work at home.

[knarf]

What America needs is blue collar labor.

Blue collar workers generally learn a job and just do it.

You're paid to hammer nails, or turn a wrench, or stack whatever .. etc.

Driving a big truck was the most educational time I ever had ... talk radio all day long.

Blue collars talk about sports and drinking and whatever while working and just don't have distractions.

And something actually gets built.