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When you engage in one task at a time, the prefrontal cortex works in harmony with other parts of the brain, he explained, but when you toss in another task it forces the left and right sides of the brain to work independently. It's this process of splitting your attention that usually leads to mistakes.
他解释说，当你一次只做一项任务，前额皮质与大脑其他部位配合完好，但如果你强加另外一个任务，左右大脑就独立运作。正是这个过程分散了你的注意力，导致出错。
In other words, each time our eyes glance away from our computer monitor to sneak a peek at a text message, the brain takes in new information, which reduces our primary focus. We think the mind can juggle two or three activities successfully at once, but Gazzaley thinks we woefully overestimate that ability.
也就是说，每当我们的视线从电脑屏幕转开，瞥一眼手机短信，大脑接受到新的信息，就会降低注意力。我们认为大脑可以同时对付两三个活动，但Gazzaley认为，很不幸，我们对这个能力期待过高了。
Skeptical? Try checking your email on a conference call.
不相信？看看你的邮件和会议邀请就知道了。