What is autopilot in a human? Like why is it that I space out when driving for example and you have no idea how you got to where you are at or when your walking around and then suddenly its like you regained Consciousness after being absent minded?
In: Biology
The autopilot effect you’re referring to is specifically just an extreme form of habit. So, basically, here’s how brains work – brain cells have two parts, the parts that send signals (axons) and the parts that receive signals (dendrites). Neurons can receive many signals at once but can only send one signal at a time. When 2 brain cells talk to each other a lot the dendrites (receiving parts) physically move around and grow closer to the axons (sending parts) which makes the space between them (the synapse) shorter. When that space gets shorter the signals happen faster (we’re talking milliseconds here but even small bits of time matter in brains). Every time “familiar” signals happen the space gets shorter and shorter and shorter until eventually those signals fire so quickly and so easily that it becomes an automatic sort of thing (habit) that is able to happen in a subconscious way. Other sorts of habits work this way as well. Idk if that’s useful and feel free to ask questions.
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