Why our brains aren't built for media multitasking and how we can learn to live with
technology in a more balanced way. Brilliant and practical just what we need in these
techno-human times.—Jack Kornfield author of The Wise Heart Most of us will freely admit that
we are obsessed with our devices. We pride ourselves on our ability to multitask—read work
email reply to a text check Facebook watch a video clip. Talk on the phone send a text
drive a car. Enjoy family dinner with a glowing smartphone next to our plates. We can do it all
24 7! Never mind the errors in the email the near-miss on the road and the unheard
conversation at the table. In The Distracted Mind Adam Gazzaley and Larry Rosen—a
neuroscientist and a psychologist—explain why our brains aren't built for multitasking and
suggest better ways to live in a high-tech world without giving up our modern technology. The
authors explain that our brains are limited in their ability to pay attention. We don't really
multitask but rather switch rapidly between tasks. Distractions and interruptions often
technology-related—referred to by the authors as interference”—collide with our goal-setting
abilities. We want to finish this paper spreadsheet sentence but our phone signals an incoming
message and we drop everything. Even without an alert we decide that we must” check in on
social media immediately. Gazzaley and Rosen offer practical strategies backed by science to
fight distraction. We can change our brains with meditation video games and physical exercise
we can change our behavior by planning our accessibility and recognizing our anxiety about
being out of touch even briefly. They don't suggest that we give up our devices but that we
use them in a more balanced way.
