With all the computing devices around us, it’s difficult today to stay focused on a task. Sometimes, it’s enough to drive you crazy between work emails, notifications from your applications, messages from your loved ones on instant messaging, etc. Then comes the final blow: the reminders of your tasks to accomplish, which show that it is no longer possible to keep up with such a frantic pace of requests.
Those who find themselves in this description suspect that it has an impact on their mental health. But to find out what the concrete implications of this digital bombardment are, scientists have carried out the investigation. Research has already shown that on average, employees lose 1.5 hours per day due to email-related interruptions (checking the mailbox alone wastes more than a minute). Others report that 60% of students were disturbed by the constant sounds produced by their phones. Now, studies have identified more precisely how our brain reacts to all this interference.
A “thinking brain” constantly on the alert
As neuropsychiatrist Théo Compernolle, professor at the University of Amsterdam, explains, our brain could be broken down into three subcategories. There is the reflex brain (which acts in the present moment using the senses), the archiving brain (which stores information), and the thinking brain.
It is the latter that Sibylle Turo, a doctor of psychology from the University of Montpellier and a specialist in the subject, speaks about on The Conversation, specifying that it “works like a prediction machine” on his future tasks. Unconsciously, he sorts all the information that reaches him and draws conclusions. This is the so-called theory of processing fluency. In other words, to react as fluidly as possible to his environment, he tries to make the best possible calculations about what to do or not to do.
However, our brain has a little habit: the easier information is seen to be processed, the more it captures our attention. “For example, a word that is easy to read catches our eye more than a word that is difficult. This reaction is automatic, almost instinctive“, specifies the researcher. This is what led her to look into the problem. In her study, she asked people to read sentences with coherent words and others that were inconsistent. thus proved that coherent words captured more attention.
The dreaded “fluency breakdown”
By extension, it is likely that the same phenomenon takes place in a large part of our daily lives. If an unexpected event occurs, such as picking up a plastic cup when you expected to pick up a stiff cup, there is a “fluency break”, because the brain realizes that its environment is not is not consistent with his calculations. In the same way, unforeseen demands on our electronic devices cause these same breakdowns, since we did not know they were going to occur.
Problem: The thinking brain isn’t very good at multitasking,”what’s more with the productivity demanded by companies“, affirms Théo Compernolle. Thus, “the interruption has consequences at the behavioral and cognitive level: cessation of the main activity, increase in the level of stress, time to resume the task in progress, loss of concentration, etc.“, adds Sibylle Turo. Attention is then redirected towards this cause of the break in fluency and implies having to redo a process of adaptation to this new element of the environment, in order to know what this implies and what action should be taken in response.
Take action to avoid loss of productivity
This obviously represents additional tasks for the brain. “I’ll let you imagine the current picture: in Europe, adults consult their smartphone on average between 80 and 123 times per day, or 3 hours of cumulative time.“, deplores Théo Compernolle. “In addition, many organizations have adopted open spaces, with all that this includes interruptions: a question from a colleague, a phone call from another… And I’m not talking about notifications on your computer. office: emails, meeting alerts, media sites, social networks… Result: an interruption every two minutes“.
For his French colleague, he is “crucial“to find a happy medium to benefit from this technological contribution, while ensuring that it does not negatively impact our concentration intended for basic tasks. In this sense, it sets out several strategies to put in place: create work zones without interruption, temporarily deactivate notifications during a period of intense concentration, adopt technologies that minimize potential sources of distraction, etc. Aware of the issue, several digital companies offer a “Do not disturb” or “Concentration Mode” service on This is the case for Android, Samsung, Apple, etc. A way to limit damage without having to suddenly part with your pocket companion.
