Life is throwing ever more information our way. But there are simple tracks that can help us cope, says neuroscientist Daniel Levitin
Are we really living in the age of too much information, or do all generations feel like this?
Good question. It seems like human nature to feel as though what's happening now is unique. But there has been a measurable shift: in 2011, Americans took in five times as much information every day as they did in 1986. During our leisure time alone, we now process on average 100,000 words each day.
At some point we are going to exceed our capacity to deal with everything. Maybe we already have. Look at some of the great recent disasters, such as the Exxon Valdez spill. These were caused by people who were overtasked, overworked, sleep deprived and at the limits of their attentional capacity.
Is overload inevitable, then?
Information overload occurs ...
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