Eli5: why is it that when you start thinking about breathing or blinking you have to do it manually?

Question

I’ve also heard of something similar where if you focus on your tongue you feel like there isn’t a comfortable place for it in your mouth, is there an explanation for that too?

In: 21

Answer 1

There is a part of the brain that is unconscious, and then conscious. We already understand these. But there’s a part of the brain even lower than subcon.

It pretty much runs everything. Even subconscious processes don’t interfere with it. But actively thinking of those things and drawing attention to it is like a switch. The light is either on or off. You can’t have both at the same time or you’ll break the switch. You can’t be thinking of breathing while trying to naturally breathe or you’ll do both and then blow something.

So the brain let’s you think about it right up until you forget. Then the light goes off.