We have discussed before how multitasking is an integral part of the juggle. But, as I learned just recently, true multitasking is a myth.

　　Instead of doing multiple things simultaneously, we actually switch our attention from task to task extremely quickly, say neuroscientists. This is according to a report on NPR, part of a series the radio program did on the topic (which I listened to while trying to feed my son, prepare his lunch and flip through the paper.)

　　What's more, multitasking prowess changes as we age. Brain researchers have found that humans' ability to multitask reaches a peak when we are in our 20s and 30s, but decreases as we age further.

　　One reason for the decline, according to another segment from the NPR series, is that older people have more 'internal chatter' in their brains, which can range from mundane to-do lists or more abstract thoughts. The more thoughts swirling around in the brain, the harder it is to focus on tasks and to switch between them; brain scans of older people show much more internal chatter than the young. (Here's a cool test to see how well you're able to focus and multitask.)

　　Young children, meanwhile, can't really multitask, according to the NPR report. Instead, they usually focus on one thing at a time, without distraction, and then move onto another task. They have trouble handling more than one task at a time. That's why it's often easy for me to redirect my 1-year-old son when he's about to, say, drink out of the dog's bowl, to another, more beneficial activity.

　　Today's teens, for their part, are experienced multitaskers; they can be found texting their friends while playing a game online, with music and TV blaring in the background, all while trying to knock off their calculus homework. But their performance at each individual task may be suffering, say brain researchers. Multitasking in teens' developing brains, according to another NPR report, 'causes a kind of brownout in the brain…because there just isn't enough power to go around.' The brain's ability to handle each task weakens temporarily, just like dimming lights.

　　Readers, how has your or your children's ability to multitask changed with age? Any good tips, such as doodling or background music, to keep your brain from getting too distracted?

中文见下页liuxuepaper.com