Sprockets & Cogs

Technology has transformed the workplace, and gadgets like cell phones and PDAs mean we’re never far from an opportunity to add thousands of little tasks to each and every day. So it’s interesting to note this study found those who are multitasking can’t focus or concentrate as well as those who, you know, aren’t. And those who multitask share much in common with the world’s stoners: a lower IQ. In fact, some cheeky British researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s college London in 2005 got the Internets a-buzzin’ with the news that e-mail might do more damage to your brain than smoking pot. From Discover Magazine.com: “Of course, a closer examination of the study is less startling but still fascinating. Researchers asked two sets of subjects to take IQ tests. One group had to check e-mail and respond to instant messages while taking the test. The second group just sat down and did the test without distractions. Surprise, surprise, the distracted group didn’t do as well on the test—10 points worse than the control group. In similar testing conditions, people intoxicated by marijuana had scores 8 points lower. So researchers drew attention to their study by noting that multitasking is worse for your ability to concentrate than getting stoned.”

For what it’s worth, I don’t think the boss is going to take, “But it’s like I’m stoned…” as any kind of excuse for why you didn’t answer your cell while you were participating in an Webinar while texting a client and faxing that final contract during a global conference call.