The Damaging Effects of Doing Multitasking on Students

We are all guilty of it. Multitasking is something that has become an everyday occurrence in our lives. Most cannot even imagine a lifestyle without it. Many people are unaware of the harmful effects multitasking can have on the body and brain, especially on young students whose brains are still in development. For almost all individuals, in nearly all circumstances, multitasking is inconceivable. When we believe we are multitasking, we are not completing two things without a moment's delay – yet rather, singular activities in quick progression. Our brains are intended to center around one thing at any given moment, and battering them with lots of information just minimizes their productivity. Therefore, introducing students to multitasking can have alarming consequences such as harming an individual’s brain, memory impairment, and increased distractibility.

Many students believe multitasking makes them feel more productive and reduces their amount of stress, yet they fail to understand that multitasking can have damaging effects. We read a book, text a friend, and talk on the phone with a relative, all while studying for an important test at the end of the week. It never feels quite right, and focus no longer has clarity. Jordan Grafman (2007), chief of cognitive neuroscience at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, explains that there is an increasing concern for teenagers who multitask because parts of their brain are still developing. He says, “Introducing multitasking in younger kids in my opinion can be detrimental.” One of the most serious issues about performing various tasks is that it is relatively difficult to pick up a profundity of information of any of the undertakings one does while they are performing various tasks. Also, if it becomes something you do naturally, you will likely be satisfied with exceptionally surface-level investigation and knowledge (Grafman, 2007). Additionally, those who often multitask impair their cognitive processes. According to researchers at the University of Sussex in the UK, high multitaskers had less brain density in the front cingulate cortex, a locale in charge of sympathy and in addition cognitive and emotional control. Furthermore, the damaging effects to your brain caused by multitasking could lead to a drop in one’s IQ (intelligence quotient). Based on a study conducted by the University of London, subjects who performed various tasks while performing mind escalated undertakings showed IQ drops like individuals who are sleep-deprived or smoke marijuana (Fawcett, 2016). Regardless of how you spin it, multitasking is nothing great. It is anything but an aptitude to add to a resume, but instead an unfortunate propensity to put a stop to.

While many students, especially teenagers, believe they can handle two tasks at the same instant without affecting their grade or schoolwork, the fact of the matter is: they do even worse. Different studies have demonstrated that multitasking does not work, despite the fact that students are likely asserting they can complete ten things at the same time. Brandon Keim, author of the article “Is Multitasking Bad For Us?”, further explains this idea by writing, “Do two or more things simultaneously and you’ll do none at full capacity.” Multitasking influences learning as performance debases and time is lost with each undertaking that is multitasked say Dr. Sherry Turkle and Dr. Rene Morois. Children have a troublesome time staying with a 'hard to comprehend' point and are more likely to enable themselves to be diverted, to change over to social media or utilizing their cell phones as opposed to working harder at understanding a troublesome subject or issue. One study demonstrated that children that utilization the Web while in class did ineffectively on tests bringing about lower grades (Kempf, 2012). Moreover, multitasking contributes to a loss in focus and time, further affecting student’s grades. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 47 percent of those who multitask sixteen or more hours per day received a C or lower in school and required more time to finish homework. Those students were also more likely to receive disciplinary actions and often be upset and fatigued. In the event that a student wants to improve their grade and do a better job with their homework, they might need to begin comprehending that multitasking is definitely not the best approach.

Today, we can see that multitasking is very common and not something that will disappear anytime soon. Despite the fact that multitasking has appeared to be inadequate by various experiments, it is still recognized as an expertise numerous individuals will go up against later on in the future. One thing is clear: the intellectual capabilities of multitaskers are not performing as properly as they could. Multitasking is dangerous in light of the fact that it results in an over-burden of information and lessens our intellectual capacities to think, process, and recall. Furthermore, the more we perform various tasks, the more we long for alternatives, and the less capable we are to make adequate decisions. So perhaps it is an ideal opportunity to quit chatting on the telephone while driving or replying to text messages while one should be studying for an important upcoming test. By doing less, we could all maybe achieve more.