For example we might be sitting reading something and then suddenly realize we were playing with a pen without having any active thought to play with that pen.
Or perhaps you might be doing something weird with your tongue whilst focusing hard on a task, or playing with your beard whilst watching a video, etc etc.
How do we do these things without putting any active thought into doing it and why?
In: Biology
I think it’s a mix of habit, and not remembering that you started doing it, when you had the small craving to do so.
The brain has to process so much at a time, so things that you have done hundreds of times before become trivial and won’t be anything the brain pays a lot of attention to.
So while doing something else, you might get a craving to tap your leg, and you’ve done this thousands of times before, so the brain just does it without making you think about it. It’s almost the same with breathing, even though it’s essential, your brain makes your conscious focus stay where it is.
Latest Answers