Multi-tasking is increasingly common habit among our world with many tools and gadgets to help us get more efficient. People often think of the ability to multitask as a positive attribute, to the degree that they will proudly tout their ability to multitask. However, new research shows that multi-tasking affects the brain’s learning systems, and as a result, we do not learn as well when we are distracted.
Russell Poldrack, UCLA associate professor of psychology and co-author of the research. “Even if you learn while multi-tasking, that learning is less flexible and more specialized, so you cannot retrieve the information as easily. Our study shows that to the degree you can learn while multi-tasking, you will use different brain systems.
“The best thing you can do to improve your memory is to pay attention to the things you want to remember,” Poldrack added.
Tasks that require more attention, such as learning calculus or reading Shakespeare, will be particularly adversely affected by multi-tasking, Poldrack said.
The researchers noted that they are not saying never to multi-task, just don’t multi-task while you are trying to learn something new that you hope to remember. Listening to music can energize people and increase alertness. Listening to music while performing certain tasks, such as exercising, can be helpful. But tasks that distract you while you try to learn something new are likely to adversely affect your learning. Poldrack noted that other research shows that talking on the phone badly impairs the ability to drive a car.
Are you a multi-tasker? Read more: Portrait of a Multitasker
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Tags: Memory, multitasking