Exceptional multitaskers are a scientific anomaly

In episode five of our video series Exceptional Humans, we search for supertaskers in our own office, to see how the Quartz staff compares to the general public.

We ended up finding two, and have Strayer quiz one of them on her ability—discussing where it comes from, and what it means for the rest of us.

This story was originally published on December 23, 2019.
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[Krisp.food]

I used to get so angry when people told me multitasking isn’t possible and criticized me for “not paying attention” while doing something else while listening or talking with someone. My brain literally doesn’t function correctly if I don’t fill it with multiple tasks at once. When this test came out I took it and scored higher doing the tasks together than doing each of them alone, proving my point. In fact, I did it at work and My colleague came and talked to me when I was doing the tasks together. It was easy for me to just put the tasks in the “autopilot” part of my brain and continue them while talking with my colleague. If you don’t have this supertasker brain, you really cannot understand what it’s like. The last 10 years, I listen to audiobooks at all times to help me focus on whatever I’m doing. It’s helped me focus on my work so much that I’ve worked my way up to CSO at my company.

[farof]

Supertaskers: can split their attention between two things at one.
Me: cannot give all my attention to one thing.
Am i supertasker?

[tylermccalmon]

The speaker in this video. definitely. should look into. speaking with more. pronunciation!

[gygraja]

Why r u not posting videos for past 3months?

[philosoftfurkitusjunkyard]

So, what occupations are best suited for these people?

[SeaJay_Oceans]

Multitasking is total and compete B.S. Focus your mind deeply on one topic, and you accompish great things.
Multitasking at work keeps you shallow, distracted, disjointed, ignorant and enslaved.
We already know this to be true - People earn a PhD in ONE field, doctors specialize in ONE topic: such as eye surgery.
Do you want your eye surgeon to also be balancing his checkbook and playing a video game while he is cutting into your skull ? probably not...

[Ritze]

What are the average scores on the test? What do you need to be a supertasker?
I scored between 91% and 96% and it told me that I failed it.

[importantname]

my tasks are to try and finish one thing a day, sometimes a week, but most of the time i dont finish.

[Ender]

I can't make out what the narrator is saying. Are you not allowed to articulate during lockdown because you might accidentally spit on your neighbours?

[SeaJay_Oceans]

Supertaskers: the correct evolution and clean functioning of applied schizophrenia. Multiple levels of ordered thinking, no disorder, no disconnect - the opposite end of the cognative bell curve...

[marss]

when an iphone user dicovers android "*Exceptional multitaskers are a scientific anomaly*"

[artifactland]

There must be tradeoffs for this skill, there must be other connections between regions of the brain that benefit non-supertaskers.

[Pingpingwilltweet]

The score of supertaskers is 85% mine is 83%

[diarykeeper]

There you have it women..
Myth busted...