Home | Health
Recently I was in my car on my way to the veterinarian when my cell phone beeped. I don’t use it very often, and I forgot that it was turned on. The beep means I have a message. All I have to do is press “1” for a second and my cell phone connects me to my messages. I did so and learned that it was a message from my wife, which she had also left on our home phones—old business! By that time I was ready to turn into the parking lot. At that moment, I had a shocking realization. I had no memory of driving the past mile or so—the period of time that I was checking my message. You’ve probably experienced this “lost memory” phenomenon. During conversation, have you ever shifted your attention from what your friend is telling you just long enough to pick up on something interesting in a nearby conversation, on the television, or in the newspaper? At some point you realize that you have no memory of what your friend has said for a period of time, and you aren’t sure what he or she is talking about. So you say, “I’m sorry, could you say that again?” No serious consequences, just a little embarrassment and a minor annoyance. On the other hand, many people I know have reported a common driving experience. While cruising on a familiar stretch of highway, they get involved in thought. Upon “waking up” to the road in front of them, they notice that the car has already passed the desired turnoff—with no memory of the highway or driving during the period of inattention. In a brief, uncomfortable moment, they may not even recognize where they are! Scary! It's as if the car were driving itself! It can make you wonder who—or what—was in control of the car during that time and how you avoided an accident. The explanation behind this phenomenon is how the brain focuses attention. Neuroscientists have known for decades that the brain is able to pay attention to only one thing at a time: a book, a voice, an emotion, a memory, something imagined, etc. Nothing else enters into short-term memory. While this seems like a limitation, it’s actually a survival mechanism: one needs to focus exclusively on something in order to deal with it. (See my earlier post, It's Your Brain.) This also means that if you pay attention to your cell phone (or anything other than driving) while behind the wheel, you're taking a huge risk. What many people try to do, of course, is shift their attention back and forth repeatedly during the call. This can work, but if at any time the conversation gets really interesting...you won't be consciously in control of your car. Drive safely!
Article Source: http://www.articledestination.com
Dennis E. Coates is CEO of Performance Support Systems, author of MindFrames, a brain-based personality assessment system (www.initforlife.com) and co-founder of the Train-to-Ingrain alliance (www.train-to-ingrain.com, info@train-to-ingrain.com, 800-488-6463), which delivers a reinforcement-centered approach to learning and development that achieves permanent, measurable improvements in workplace behavior and positive impacts on business results.
Please Rate this Article 5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
Powered by Article Dashboard
