The Annoying Reason Men Can Only Seem To Do One Thing At A Time, According To Science

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You know that saying about walking and chewing gum at the same time? The reason it exists is because of men, and according to science, they are just not wired to do more than one thing at once.

Have you ever tried to have a conversation with a man while he’s actively looking for an item on his grocery shopping list? Chances are, he said something at some point about the store not having orange juice or something equally ridiculous. It might be time to cut the guy some slack, however, because his brain is a whole lot different than yours, and multitasking is not his forte.

Science can actually explain the reasons men and women do the things they do. Research shows that the female brain operates differently from the male brain. Each has been trained by millions of years of evolution. This is the source of many of the problems and miscommunications between the sexes.

Men can’t multitask because their brains are designed to focus on one activity at a time.

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Women are multitaskers and often cannot understand why men seem to do only one thing at a time. My goodness, a woman can drive a car while putting on her makeup and talking on her hands-free phone, but a man will miss his exit on the freeway because his wife was talking to him.

That is because the male brain is compartmentalized and specialized to focus on one task at a time. It may seem limiting to a woman, but it enables a man to become a specialist in one subject. Researchers theorized that this one-track mind thinking is evolutionary. Basic survival required men to focus on singular important tasks: finding food, starting fires, and protecting. Women were tasked with more rapid-fire tasks: raising the children, growing or gathering food, and preparing food.

Now, there is evidence that multitasking can lead to a scattered mind, a lack of focus, and, ultimately, more stress in your life. In that sense, the single-minded focus many men display could be considered a healthy approach to getting things done. On the other hand, a woman’s ability to juggle everything on her daily to-do list is basically a superpower. 

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Women use both sides of their brains, enabling them to multitask more easily.

In prehistoric times, men were responsible for hunting and bringing home food. They needed skills to hone in on one target.

The traditional mythology says women were home defending the nest and needed to perform several activities simultaneously, with a wide peripheral vision to monitor their surroundings. No matter what actually went on around the communal fire during the Neolithic age, women still shoulder more than their share of work around the house.

Statistics from Pew Research revealed that in 2020, only 38% of women surveyed said they were satisfied with the division of labor at home. Among men, 55% were satisfied. The lopsided math illustrates the need for women to multitask, and is an indication that it’s not all that fun or rewarding.

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Women are more organized under pressure.

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Obviously, a blanket statement like men can only do one task at a time is limiting, and multitasking is, for lack of a better descriptor, multifaceted. Women and men function differently, and that includes their brains, but within those studied tasks, women excelled at multitasking under pressure as compared to men.

Co-author of the study, Professor Keith Laws, of the University of Hertfordshire, explained to the BBC that when tasked with a variety of activities and then made to perform those activities under time constraints, adding stress to the scenario, the majority of men would suddenly become disorganized and impulsive. He said, “It suggests that — in a stressed and complex situation – women are more able to stop and think about what’s going on in front of them.”

The reason for this difference, is still unclear, but the researchers theorized that it could be a combination of factors, from evolutionary differences to women simply doing more multitasking under stressful situations. The more time you spend doing something, the better you get at it. Sometimes it’s as simple as that.

I used to go into my husband’s studio when he was working on a project and start talking to him about something I needed help with or advice. At first, he couldn’t even hear me, and then when I would press the issue, he would get extremely agitated because he was concentrating on one thing, the task at hand. Now I wait until he is relaxed and not doing something else before approaching him with my problems. That way, I can get his undivided attention with no arguments.

Understanding this one difference between male and female brain function will do wonders for your relationship. At the very least, it could make you a whole lot more understanding when your boyfriend, husband, or even your brother comes home from the store without your favorite brand of ice cream.

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Marla Materson is an award-winning author, spiritual life coach, matchmaker, energy healer, and intuitive reader.