Our brains are extremely complex, and they have the ability to store tons of information while allowing us to function on a daily basis (whether productive or not).
Now combine information overload with your brain functions and you’ve either got increased intelligence or brain burnout! Too much information overload can be overwhelming and even stressful, but your brain is an incredible filtering machine for any and all information.
Our Complex Brain…
Have you ever had so much thinking going on in your head that you just couldn’t think anymore? Well according to Sarah Bond Chapman, founder and chief director of the center for Brainhealth at the University of Texas at Dallas, the prefrontal cortex in the brain takes the load of this excessive information and will just kind of shutdown when there’s too much to process.
As large as our brains are and as proven as their mechanism has been, they are an organ and they are still sensitive to stress. When our brains stop working “We stop working” and this is bad because we start to make bad decisions and mistakes that we otherwise wouldn’t have.
So, with that being said…
Relax and focus on one or two things that will be beneficial to you rather than trying to digest 15 things at once. Placing your focus on a lot of things is counterproductive to learning and processing.
Are Our Brains Being Damaged as a Society?
Russ Poldrack, a neuroscientist at Stanford, found that “learning information while multitasking causes the new information to go to the wrong part of the brain.” This means that overload of information is in fact counterproductive to allowing new information to settle and become utilized by us in a beneficial way.
There are many negative consequences to overloading our delicate brains like, the burning up of oxygenated glucose (which we essentially use for productivity) which makes up completely burnt out.
If we continue to pay attention to things that don’t matter (And cause health issues) we as a society are going to be in a state of dire need!
Why We Need to Be a Little Smarter….
We need to be smarter when it comes to using our brains (pun intended) because it is the only brain we have and it is the center of how we process everything (which is essential to living a meaningful life).
If we take a step back and realize what we really need in life, it would be a drastic change in how feel and how our brains function. It is well worth prioritizing what’s important to us.
Psychologist and behavioral neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, says, “Our brains are equipped to deal with the world the way it was many thousands of years ago when we were hunter-gatherers.”
This should be enough evidence for us to “cool it” with the multitasking.
So, How are We Going to Fix this Overload Issue?
Let’s break this down one by one with ways to distress the brain.
- Focus on one thing at a time and no more than two within a short period of time
- Understand that doing more does not mean accomplishing more
- Minimize multitasking for the benefit of your health
So, if you find yourself stressed out and unable to process information… it could mean that you are overloading your brain with too much information. So set your priorities and understand that (Like anything else) your brain needs a break every now and then.
Make the permanent change and decide to limit your focus in order to receive the many benefits of not multitasking!
