Why the Human Brain Can't Multitask

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/conference/ideas_economy_information

Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, explains why the human brain struggles to process information that is presented "with the intensity and the quantity and the speed we find ourselves surrounded by today." Revising the 1956 psychology paper, "The Magical Number Seven," Carr explains that our working memory - everything comprising the consciousness at a given moment - can only hold between two and four items at a time.

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The Ideas Economy: Information is a fresh look at knowledge management for the information age. The Economist will bring together theorists, strategists, and innovators who understand how to harness data to create value and advance individual, corporate, and social good. To view the full version of any video featured in this playlist, visit: http://fora.tv/conference/ideas_economy_information

A former executive editor of the Harvard Business Review, Nicholas Carr writes and speaks on technology, business, and culture. A prolific and nimble thought leader, Mr Carr has written more than a dozen articles and interviews for Harvard Business Review and writes regularly for the Financial Times, Strategy and Business, and The Guardian. Nick's newest book, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, examines the intellectual and social consequences of the Internet. It has received unprecedented international acclaim and has been reviewed in all major news publications.

Mr Carr has served as a commentator on CNBC, CNN, and other networks and has been a featured speaker worldwide at industry, educational, and government forums. In Spring 2008 CIO Insight named Carr's Does IT Matter?, one of the all-time "Top 15 Most Groundbreaking Management Books" and Ziff Davis included him as one of only a handful of IT management thought leaders on their "100 Most Influential People in IT" list.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• multitasking
• memory
• myths
• mind
• brains
• neurology
• neuroscience
• tech
• technology
• attention
• span
• focus
• retention
• nicholas
• carr
• shallows
• economist
• ideas
• economy
• information
• foratv
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[MasterAkryon]

See girls? Humans CAN'T multitask! Either you are aliens, or... Yeah, you are aliens.

[Tribefull]

Hardcore MMO raiding boosted the efficiency of my brain's RAM.

[urbossadam]

shit! how the fuck did i get to masterbate listening to you?

[gogoasacenusie]

@MasterAkryon , i'm a Reptilian alien and i can multitask ya'll human bastards

[leerees]

@infinitelimitation lol brains do not have algorithms or algorithmic processes.

[leerees]

@Saerain Depends what system in the brain it relates too. Justin Beiber is a peice of information just as the letter B is or an image of a car. All 3 instances would be created by different networks within your brain. The trick with the limit is to cluster together groups of information inside one peice. Lets say you store the number 42 inside an image of a hammer and the number 20 inside a car, in future you only have to remember hammer car to get 4220, it works really well.

[hosseinasghari]

stupid, you are walking and talking, this is multitasking.

[TehHeavy]

@dk4everX draw a perfect cube and a perfect circle[1 with each hand] at the same time and see if u can multitask

in less then 2 sec

[dk4everX]

then i am not a human .. cuz i can multitask .. you mad now, bro ..

[dk4everX]

this is bullshit...