Scientists say juggling e-mail, phone calls and other incoming information can change how people think
and behave. They say our ability to focus is being undermined by bursts of information. These play to a
primitive impulse to respond to immediate opportunities and threats. The stimulation provokes excitement
— a dopamine squirt — that researchers say can be addictive. In its absence, people feel bored. The
resulting distractions can have deadly consequences, as when cell phone-wielding drivers and train
engineers cause wrecks. And for millions of people these urges can inflict nicks and cuts on creativity
and deep thought, interrupting work and family life.