HOW DO INTERRUPTIONS IMPACT DIFFERENT SOFTWARE ENGINEERING ACTIVITIES?

Summary from the TLDR Web Dev newsletter

A study examined how interruptions affect software engineers' productivity and stress across various coding tasks (writing, comprehension, and review). The research revealed that interruption impact varies depending on task complexity and the interrupter's authority, with in-person interruptions surprisingly showing lower physiological stress despite higher perceived stress. Perceived stress, rather than physiological data, better predicted engineers' actual behavior and productivity.