In an always-on world where checking emails during a video call or scrolling social media while watching television has become routine, experts are sounding the alarm on what they call "toxic multitasking" — a habit that is quietly draining mental energy, fuelling burnout and rewiring the brain in damaging ways.
What Is Toxic Multitasking — And Why Is Your Brain So Bad at It?
Multitasking is widely celebrated as a marker of productivity, but brain health specialists say the reality is far more troubling. Sandi Chapman, chief director at the Centre for BrainHealth in the United States and a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Dallas, describes toxic multitasking as "the illusion of productivity".
"Multitasking is often seen as a sign of high productivity," Chapman says. "Unfortunately, your brain experiences it as a performance bottleneck. We think we're getting two complex things done at once, but our brains simply aren't wired for it."
Chapman compares the experience to attempting to read two books simultaneously — rather than absorbing twice as much, you simply lose your place in both. Every time the brain is forced to switch between tasks, it burns through mental energy and ultimately produces less output, not more.
Ashish Kothari, founder and chief executive of employee engagement consulting group Happiness Squad, points to the modern workplace as a key driver, noting that more and more people are double- and triple-booked on meetings while simultaneously managing other demands. The problem, he says, is the constant "context switching" that occurs without adequate breaks — something that takes a measurable toll even if it feels productive in the moment.
The Ripple Effect: From Work to Sleep to Wellbeing
The damage doesn't clock off when work does. Kothari warns that the urge to multitask bleeds into personal time, with people habitually reaching for their phones while watching television or winding down before bed. "As a result our sleep is affected," he says, adding that the cumulative impact creates "a heavy toxic effect on our holistic well-being, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually."
Digital multitasking — such as simultaneously watching a streaming service while scrolling through a short-video platform — is particularly harmful to attention. Neuroscientist Kay Linker notes the irony: consuming multiple digital inputs at once actually reduces the brain's ability to handle multiple inputs at all. "These types of inputs actually reduce your ability to handle multiple inputs at once," she says.
The consequences extend well beyond feeling tired. According to Chapman, the effects include serious cognitive impairment such as brain fog, an inability to think clearly, and significant emotional and interpersonal damage — among them irritability, a reduced capacity for genuine connection, and a loss of satisfaction in both work and personal life.
Not All Multitasking Is Created Equal
Linker is careful to distinguish between harmful and beneficial forms of multitasking. Once a task becomes automatic, she explains, the brain transfers it to a different region that allows for genuine parallel processing. Examples of healthy multitasking include listening to a podcast while taking a walk, or making a phone call during a commute — activities that pair an automatic physical task with an engaging mental one.
This stands in sharp contrast to what Linker calls "task switching" — the rapid toggling between cognitively demanding activities that drains focus and depletes mental control.
Hustle Culture Is Making It Worse
Chapman argues that toxic multitasking doesn't emerge in a vacuum — it is a natural extension of hustle culture and the relentless pressure to prioritise output and quantity over quality. Technological expectations have amplified those pressures, making it harder than ever to resist the pull of constant stimulation.
The first step toward reclaiming cognitive health, experts suggest, is recognising that doing more things at once rarely means doing them better — and that the brain, like the body, needs genuine rest to perform at its peak. Unlike glancing at your phone, even a short walk can offer the mental reset that context-switching never can.
