Sorry lads, women are best at multi- tasking

WOMEN have always known it and now science has proved it. The fairer sex really is better at multi- tasking than men.

Researchers from the universities of Glasgow, Hertfordshire and Leeds measured volunteers’ ability to carry out multiple tasks.

In the fi rst test, 120 men and 120 women completed a computer- based challenge measuring how well they could rapidly switch between two simple tasks.

Both men and women slowed down compared with doing one task at a time. But the men slowed more, with a 77 per cent deterioration in performance speed against the women’s 69 per cent.

A different group of 47 men and 47 women participated in the second test to measure multi- tasking in three areas that are common in everyday life.

They were asked to sketch out how they would attempt to search for a set of lost keys in a fi eld; to locate restaurants on a map; and solve simple arithmetical questions. They were also told to expect to receive a phone call during the test. If they answered the phone, they were asked general knowledge questions.

Women developed better strategies for fi nding the keys, according to the study published in the journal BMC Psychology.

Keith Laws, professor of cognitive neuropsychology at the University of Hertfordshire and one of the authors of the paper, said: “This one signifi cant advantage for women on the search task suggests they may be superior at tasks requiring high- level cognitive control.”