Multitasking with New Tech Gadgets May Cost Us Our Humanity

I was just relaxing the other night, trying to enjoy a television show, but had the distinct feeling I should be doing something else at the same time.

I wondered if I had received some email, what I might be missing on Facebook, or if I should be writing another hub.

Since when had I begun to feel like I was not doing enough if I was not multitasking? Could I not just sit and enjoy doing one thing at a time any more?

I have read articles suggesting we have become wired, jittery, stimulus junkies - addicted to the latest technological fads.

It used to make me feel guilty to spend a couple of hours on the computer at a time - now I am lucky to have a couple of hours off the computer a night to do my gardening, exercise, and eat dinner.

The hits come from all directions when we are constantly on the computer, ipad, ipod and smart phone. Are we addicted to having information shot into our brains from many sources at all times of the night and day? Could it be similar to the high we can get from drugs? Are our minds getting too used to the stimulus that we feel bored without it?

In the past, women have been known for their ability to multitask all the duties of being a mother, wife, employee, cook, cleaner and more. Now add to that the technological advances. It is a wonder any of us are still sane. People are usually admired for being able to multitask, but latest research shows that the heavy multi-taskers do not get as much done as they attest to. Watch the video below.

If you have tried to watch a show the same time you are trying to write a hub, you realize that you either miss something on one or the other. It is very difficult to focus all your efforts into one task while trying to get something out of another one. And because we keep trying, scientists are saying we are causing ourselves more stress.

We need to give our brains a break. We might think that we are exercising our mind, but as bodybuilders and runners know - working out without the proper amount of rest is useless. My brain does need down time.

Scientists even say that daydreaming is what allows us to be creative. If we have constant fractured focus, it could damage the part of our brain that allows creativity. Not exactly a good thing for an artist.

Consider what you do during your lunch break. Do you spend it catching up on twitter, Facebook, texting, blogging, and email, or do you actually walk around enjoying nature, socializing and just breathing?

I remember years ago when I would try to catch a short nap during my lunch break after eating. I always felt refreshed and ready to take on the world afterward. We actually had to take a 15 minute break back in the day, and would usually spend it conversing with other employees, friends and family.

Virtual friends now seem to take precedence over people in our immediate sphere, the real world. It is now possible to be in a room full of people who are multitasking, totally ignoring each other, locked into their own little digital bubbles.

Our emotional IQ is bound to be affected by our multitasking and addiction to virtual rather than real world interactions. That part of our minds may shrink just like an underused muscle. Could we be able to get it back should the world as we know it end suddenly, leaving our gadgets paralyzed?

We need to keep ourselves balanced, keeping one foot in the real world and one in the virtual world. Do not make the mistake of crossing all the way over before it is too late to pull back.