Biological stress responses to multitasking and work interruptions: A randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Digitalization introduces new stressors like multitasking and work interruptions.
• Biological stress responses to these technology-mediated demands are not well understood.
• Understanding these responses is crucial for addressing modern workplace health challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively assess biological stress response patterns to multitasking and work interruptions.
• To compare stress responses in purely digital versus partially non-digital settings.
• To investigate the impact of these stressors on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), HPA axis, and immune system.

Main Methods:

• A controlled experimental study with 186 healthy participants.
• Participants were assigned to single-tasking, dual-tasking, multitasking, or control conditions.
• Biological markers assessed included salivary alpha-amylase (SNS), cortisol (HPA axis), secretory Immunoglobulin-A, and C-reactive protein (immune system).

Main Results:

• Salivary alpha-amylase (SNS marker) significantly changed in response to work interruptions, parallel dual-tasking, and multitasking.
• Perceived stress levels increased during multitasking and parallel dual-tasking, mirroring sAA changes.
• No significant changes were observed in cortisol or immune markers across conditions.
• Stress responses were consistent in both digital and partially non-digital task settings.

Conclusions:

• Dual- and multitasking are perceived as stressful and activate the SNS.
• The HPA axis and immune system do not appear to be significantly affected by these specific stressors in the short term.
• Findings are relevant for understanding the biological health effects of stress in digitalized environments.