The secret to successful eavesdropping: Trinity College study shows how we do it
Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have discovered that the human brain can briefly process two conversations simultaneously. This finding challenges the traditional belief that humans can only focus on one speaker at a time.
Why it matters
Understanding how the brain manages attention in complex environments provides insights into cognitive multitasking and social interaction.
If you have ever felt like you are in two minds about something then, it turns out, so do your ears.
A study by Trinity College Dublin researchers shows how people are capable of the ultimate eavesdropping skill: following two conversations at once for brief periods.
But it has nothing to do with having good hearing, for it is down to the brain’s capacity to process overlapping sounds.
The Trinity research found that for just a second or two the brain can begin fully following a new conversation without disengaging from the previous one.
“The findings challenge the long-held view that we can only focus on one speaker at a time,” the authors said.
Their study, published in the international journal PLOS Biology, used electrodes attached to participants’ scalps to measure the activity in their brains that indicate communication between brain cells.
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