What Causes ‘Cognitive Overload’?

Imagine your brain is like a toy box. When you put too many toys in at once, it gets messy and hard to find what you need. That’s cognitive overload, when your brain feels like it can’t keep up with all the things you’re trying to think about.

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Examples

A kid tries to remember their math homework while listening to a story and eating candy, they forget everything.
Someone starts talking on the phone while cooking, and ends up burning the pancakes.
You're trying to solve a puzzle and keep track of your team's score, you can't focus on either.

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Categories: Science · cognitive overload,brain function,neuroscience