And finally, researchers have been able to fully understand the complex phenomenon that occurs when, oh no, I forgot to buy milk again! Happen to you before? You’re doing one thing and all of a sudden a completely random thought comes to mind? Apparently it happens to everyone, and the thought isn’t so random. Scientists are paying ever more attention to what happens when the mind wanders and why it does so. Recent studies show, however, that absent-mindedness isn’t as uncommon as we claim it to be. For better or for worse, the human brain can switch to “autopilot” when it does certain activities it’s accustomed to, much like what happened to Adam Sandler in the film Click when he was fast-forwarding. To get a better understanding of this phenomenon, you may wish to think of your brain as a computer operating system. Now, let’s separate all the tasks that a computer is assigned to do into two categories: tasks that run in the foreground (conscious tasks) and tasks that run in the background (subconscious tasks).
The computer user is aware of all foreground tasks, but most, if not all background tasks elude him. Same goes for the human brain, except for one minor detail, namely that some tasks can become a habit, which changes the way they’re executed. Let’s say you’re an infant again, barely able to walk. The action of walking takes up a fair amount of the brain’s resources. You consciously think of which leg to move forward and struggle with the clumsy, imprecise movements you already know. At the same time, you’re subconsciously experimenting which muscle groups to move to obtain the desired effect. As time passes, your skills become more refined and you mustn’t concentrate on the order of your steps anymore, so as to be able to walk upright. This doesn’t mean you don’t think about it at all though. As you’ve mastered the secrets of walking, you’ve also shifted more of the things you need to focus on to your subconscious.
This is like programming a new command into your computer. Whenever you give the walk command, the whole process is shifted to the background, so you may perform another foreground task, such as talking to someone while you walk This should explain how your brain can get distracted during daily habits, such as reading, driving, listening to music, but it doesn’t explain why it happens. Although scientists have no conclusive answer to this, it seems to me there is only one true possibility: the essence of mankind. People like to get distracted from their problems, because they seem to be fewer when reviewed later. Why couldn’t this be a clue that the human brain uses its vast subconscious to sort through daily events, find solutions to everyday problems and pass these on to the conscious mind as either inexplicable feelings of relief or short bursts of “divine inspiration”? The mind wanders because it would go insane otherwise, buried under tons of problems it couldn’t even dream to handle. So the conscious mind escapes, leaving its cold, emotionless, and yet efficient subconscious to figure out the solutions. In the end, we can never be sure why it does it, but this explanation does seem plausible, doesn’t it? Think about it. Or rather, let your subconscious do it. Read more articles on Science and Technology.