Brain and Interactions, 2

In order to really take in and understand what one other person is saying to you, you need to process 60 bits of information per second. Can you see the problem when more than one person is trying to talk to you at the same time? The triplets, or three neighbors, or you name it . . . With a processing capacity of 120 bits of information per second, you can barely understand what is going on when two people are talking to you at the same time. Three people? Dream on. Under most circumstances you will not be able to understand what three people are saying. The brain was not set up to multitask well. When two people are talking to you the brain may be able to manage that, but if a third person comes into the mix the brain may try to multitask—and will likely engage in rapidly alternating shifts of attention. Naturally, some parts of the conversations will fall through the cracks and never get filed away in your brain.