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
Your brain works on about 20 watts of power. That goes for everything that the brain does, including all the keeping you alive stuff. Because of this, it has to be rather miserly with its processing power.
When you repeat something often enough, the subroutine becomes “automatic” in that it’s stuffed into the “procedural” portion of your brain (muscle memory). Your brain is basically using a shortcut, almost like your repetitions were printed on an index card, like a script.
When you start the ritual, your brain moves the processing from the 100% conscious main area to the lower powered area, where it just follows the instructions on the index card.
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