How many things do you (like to) do at once? The relationship between need for closure and multitasking preference and behavior

Nowadays, multitasking has become an integral part of everyday life. However, not everyone enjoys multitasking and there are some who prefer working on tasks sequentially. In this paper, we argue that need for cognitive closure (NFC), a motivational tendency to avoid ambiguity and uncertainty via a rigid processing style, is a variable related to lower willingness to engage in multitasking. Across three samples, we found that NFC was negatively related to multitasking preference (Study 1). In Study 2, we found that NFC negatively predicted self-reported multitasking behavior. Study 3 additionally showed that NFC negatively predicted multitasking behavior operationalized as the number of switches between tasks in a multiple media task. Implications for peoples' well-being and performance are discussed.