multitasking

10 Stories

Is Your Work Output the 'Only Proof' That You're Working?

In 'Esquire,' Kelly Stout ponders whether productivity, the process, or something else is what matters

(Newser) - If you've tried every multitasking trick in the book to maximize your time on the job, Kelly Stout wants you to know you're not alone. In Esquire , Stout writes that she spent a lot of time earlier in her career assigned to busywork, longing for "a life...

Sorry, Millennials, You Don't Have Digital 'Special Powers'

Researchers say concept of a younger generation of 'digital natives' is a myth

(Newser) - Are you a "digital native" or a "digital immigrant," and does it make a difference? Research recently published in the Teaching and Teacher Education journal indicates the concept of so-called digital natives—aka, those slotted into the "millennials" category and younger, and often thought to be...

Men Are Worse at Multitasking
 Men Are Worse at Multitasking 
Study Says
Oct 24, 2013 3:25 PM CDT

Men Are Worse at Multitasking

Women perform better in new study

(Newser) - Women have a distinct edge when it comes to juggling problems, a new study has concluded. Researchers had 120 men and 120 women each complete a computer test, first giving them the tasks one at a time, and then mixing them up, forcing participants to tackle them in a fragmented...

Female Frogs Favor Mates Who Multitask

Scientists conclude so after listening to mating calls

(Newser) - Researchers listening to the mating calls of frogs over and over think they've stumbled across a lesson that can be applied to humans: Females prefer multitasking males. The University of Minnesota study reached that conclusion by breaking down the calls of a species of gray treefrog, reports Nature World ...

Facebook, Studying Don't Mix
 Facebook, Studying Don't Mix 
Sep 7, 2010 11:45 AM CDT

Facebook, Studying Don't Mix

New study shows another negative result of multitasking

(Newser) - Surprise, surprise: Turns out it's not a good idea to use Facebook while studying. A new study finds that those who did so scored an average of 20% lower on exams than those who did not, the Telegraph reports. However, only one-quarter of those who used Facebook while working believed...

Gadgets Are Frying Your Brain

Our brains need downtime to think, scientists say

(Newser) - Our love affair with gadgets is robbing our minds of the critical downtime they need to properly process our experiences, scientists tell the New York Times . Experiments show that when rats learn a new skill, such as running a maze, their brains actually process the experience only when they take...

Twitter Will Make You Smarter
 Twitter Will Make You Smarter 
opinion
Jun 11, 2010 12:14 PM CDT

Twitter Will Make You Smarter

Like other new media, site beefs up brain if used wisely

(Newser) - It's fashionable to cry about how Twitter and other new forms of electronic media are making us intellectually lazy and downright stupid. In fact, the opposite is true, writes Harvard's Steven Pinker. "Don’t rail at PowerPoint or Google," he writes. "It’s not as if habits...

New iPhone OS Allows Multitasking*

*As long as you aren't using an iPhone 3G

(Newser) - iPhone OS 4 will at long last allow iPhone users to multitask—as long as they’re using the latest version of the device. Just double-click the home button and you’ll see a list of apps you can switch between. It’s not precisely true multitasking—apps can only...

Teens, Kids Consume 7.5 Hours of Media a Day

Study says technology has bombarded the young with entertainment

(Newser) - Young people spend more time consuming media in a week than they’d spend at a full-time job, according to a new study. Researchers say that 8- to 18-year-olds spend 7 hours and 38 minutes a day watching TV, playing video games, or amusing themselves on a computer, which has...

Multitasking Causes Serious Brain Drain

Constant switching of focus is inefficient, can lead to trouble

(Newser) - Multitasking isn’t helping you do anything faster, and constant exposure to multiple electronic media makes people really bad at—multitasking. “When you’re pushing yourself to perform two or more tasks, especially complicated tasks, it’s not beneficial,” a researcher tells the Boston Globe . “It’s...

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