When I taught college courses in written communications, public speaking, and job interviewing skills, multitasking was a popular buzzword.

Every resume sample I critiqued proudly boasted the applicant’s ability to multitask - to efficiently work toward completing multiple tasks at once.

It sounds great -but unfortunately- it’s a myth and neuroscience researchers at MIT back up this claim with hard data.

Research shows that instead of concentrating on multiple tasks, the ‘executive system’ of the brain allow us to switch between tasks in rapid succession thereby giving us the impression of multitasking.

If you’ve got about 8 minutes to listen, I recommend the following audio from National Public Radio. (The link takes you to NPR’s article and audio link the same page.)

What about you? Have you always considered yourself a multitasker? Does this seemingly contradict your ideas about your abilities? Please share your reactions to this article below.

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