This was true before technological developments, in the form of smart phones, tablets and laptop computers, turned multitasking from an art form to a fact of life for many of us – and not just in the corporate arena but in our homes, schools, shopping malls; virtually everywhere.
Now a new study released by a British university suggests that using more than one media device at a time – even if it’s just checking our e-mail while watching TV – may actually be reducing the amount of so-called “gray matter,” the portion of the brain that processes information, in a key area of our brains.
In other words, multi-tasking may actually not be expanding our minds, but making them smaller. The study is not the first to set off alarm bells about multitasking, especially in school-age children. It also acknowledges a possible link between the brains of individuals with less gray matter and a heightened desire to use multiple gadgets. In any case, it’s food for thought.