What happens when your brain goes on auto pilot?

Question

I drive a lot, and sometimes I just “scare” back into reality and I realize I wasn’t even paying attention the last few seconds, and it feels weird. Why and how does this happen?

In: 2885

Answer 1

When you do something over and over you are essentially strengthening the neural pathways involved every time you do it. Eventually, the action becomes automatic whether you pay attention or not, and sometimes if you try to think about it you’ll actually fuck it up.

Which raises some interesting questions in the vein of philosophy of mind. The more you do something the less conscious you become of doing it, as if there’s some higher order consciousness that is as unconscious as the subconscious.

Answer 2

When you do something over and over you are essentially strengthening the neural pathways involved every time you do it. Eventually, the action becomes automatic whether you pay attention or not, and sometimes if you try to think about it you’ll actually fuck it up.

Which raises some interesting questions in the vein of philosophy of mind. The more you do something the less conscious you become of doing it, as if there’s some higher order consciousness that is as unconscious as the subconscious.