YDF Greatest Hits: Is "Multitasking" Possible? - Summer Refresh Edition (with Gloria Mark, PhD)

Feeling tethered to your screens? Doomscrolling much? Have you gotten that little message from your phone, ratting you out, informing you that "you spent an average of XX hours and xx minutes daily of screen time"?? Do you wish you could set some better boundaries with tech/social media/screens in general?

Let's face it, our devices are here to stay. How can we make them work FOR US, instead of distracting us from the personal connections we need? How are we supposed to "multitask"?? Is the human brain even capable of such a feat??

Cue our expert in human-computer interaction (HCI), Gloria Mark, PhD! WE ARE SO FORTUNATE to be able to pick her brain about how to make OUR BRAINS better at prioritizing our precious mental currency: OUR ATTENTION.

Dr. Mark is the author of Attention Span and Multitasking in the Digital Age, the Chancellor's Professor of Informatics at UC Irvine, and has published over 200 papers in top academic journals, and appeared in scores of platforms, including the New York Times, BBC, NPR, the Atlantic, and recently on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard (check it out, the episode is GREAT!)

We are aware that we likely outkicked our coverage, and are SO HAPPY to share Dr. Mark's expertise with y'all. Strap in, pay attention, this is a can't-miss episode, friends! :)

Topics in this episode include:

The MYTH of multitasking.

What is "distraction cost'?

How attempting to "multitask" affects our brains and bodies (hint: stress!)

Is it really the "notifications" on our phones that are distracting us, or is it something else?

Are we really "victims of the algorithm" when it comes to social media?

How can being "information rich" make us "attention poor"?

How can we be aware of our "urges" to check our phones/email/computer and become more intentional in our use of devices?

Learn more about Dr. Mark's work at her website.

Her latest book, Attention Span, is available nationwide wherever books are sold! Learn more about her book here.

Your Doctor Friends have some BIG THINGS in the works for "refreshing" the pod, and how we deliver meaningful, usable, valid health education to YOU, our dear friends!

You'll be hearing some "upcycled" episodes this summer while we work on implementing these changes, and we will be back in full force in the next month or so with a brand new haircut ;)

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