The More, The Merrier? What Happens In Your Brain When You Are Multitasking?

Abstract

Have you ever thought about what happens in your brain when you engage in multiple tasks at the same time? Although we multitask often throughout the day, limits to our mental capacity prevent our brains from processing multiple tasks truly simultaneously. Instead, we actually switch between them, so rapidly that we may not even be aware of it. Two brain areas appear to be especially important for multitasking—the parietal cortex and the prefrontal cortex, whose complex interaction is an ongoing focus of scientific investigation. With the ever-increasing popularity of new technological devices like smartphones, which tempt us to multitask more frequently, it has become crucial to understand how multitasking affects the ability to complete a task quickly and correctly. While many questions remain about multitasking and its effects on the brain and our cognitive skills, currently available research points to the importance of developing smart multitasking habits.