Help! Brain overload

Do you find yourself struggling with ever-mounting tasks? Most adults can relate to feeling overwhelmed by everyday life; with too many things demanding our attention, we can run out of focus and start to make mistakes. However, many don't realise that the drawbacks of this stretch far beyond stress, with a study determining that the demands of intense flight situations create a cognitive bottleneck resulting in pilots so focussed on their tasks they cannot register the sound of an alarm. To help alleviate these burdens, Neuroergonomic researchers are investigating using electroencephalograms (EEGs) what can be done to breach the chaos and improve safety. A human brain is a complicated machine, but it has a finite capacity with access to limited amounts of energy. Knowing this, Emily Willingham explains how we can use technology to reduce our cognitive workload and prevent potentially catastrophic outcomes.