Multitasking and flow: Compatible?

We run while talking on the phone. We answer an email while we eat. We listen to music in the background while reading. In a society where it seems that we must be available 24/7. and submissive in an unstoppable bombardment of stimuli, the multitasking or multitasking seems the only option to keep pace and keep up. Ability not only appreciated but praised for the satisfaction of managing to cover more things and feel superhuman. But is multitasking the optimum?

As the psychologist Kahnemanour attention span is limited. “The brain is programmed to think consciously about only one thing,” says the neuroscientist. Earl K. Miller. When multitasking, Is distributed among them according to their demand.. We can read and listen to a song at the same time, but not with the same quality as if we did it separately.

Multitasking will prioritize quantity over quality. Gloria MarkPh.D. in psychology from Columbia University, USA, argues that, by focusing on one task, you lose focus on the other task.. What happens is a very rapid shift of your attention from one task to the other. A fluid exchange but not without consequences. According to the neuroscientist Daniel Levitin multitasking is a “burden on the body,” as constant change requires additional effort. Alternating one activity with another consumes energy more quickly than when focusing on a single task. The brain is designed to focus on one thing. Going against nature and trying to control several variables at once disrupts its proper functioning.

Multitasking will prioritize quantity over quality.

Dulling your natural way of proceeding increases blood pressure and heart rate and. can lead to stress, irritability, exhaustion and anxiety.limiting capacities such as emotional regulation, memory or dream cycles, among others. All this impairs not only productivity, but also physical, cognitive, mental and emotional well-being. Likewise, researchers at the University of Sussex discovered that multitasking may damage the part of the brain responsible for emotional intelligence. -the cingulate cortex.

We enjoy more and, therefore, we are happier when we give time and dedication to an activity.. May our goal be to focus on just one, not to do it alone, but to flow in it, without allowing distractions to interrupt our enjoyment or our peace.