@zevinclark: Day 23 of 365: How Humans Work. Have you ever been driving, completely lost in thought, and suddenly realized you’ve arrived with almost no memory of the drive? People sometimes call this highway hypnosis, but the part that fascinates me is automaticity. As behaviors become highly practiced, parts of them can require less conscious attention. The basal ganglia are one of the brain systems heavily involved in learning habits and automatic behaviors. And that’s when this becomes much bigger than driving. Your brain doesn’t only automate driving. It automates your life. Opening your phone. The foods you reach for. Your routines. Even some of your responses to stress can become patterns you perform without much deliberate thought. Automaticity is necessary, but it leaves us with an uncomfortable question: How much of your life are you consciously choosing, and how much have you simply practiced enough to stop thinking about? Maybe the strangest part isn’t arriving somewhere without remembering the drive. It’s realizing how much of your life you might be living the exact same way. Day 23. We’re learning together.

Wallabywish :

Omg this is me! What actually happens? How did we get to the destination?

Shannon Smith :

It’s why I hate driving [Tears of joy]

JALAIT LAMPARAS :

when you start something and your brain goes to thinking mode. but the practice of what I had been doing has given the ability of doing it automatically

somernickole :

Why you talkin about me

Greedy Inez :

This is me and I am thoroughly interested in what happens

✝️🙏🏻Kim.4k.6g🕊️🙌 :

Wait. That’s rare? This happens w me ALL the time!😬. It’s not just driving…😬. And when I’m actually focusing, I start thinking about what I’m thinking and why (metacognition)… sometimes, I find myself losing hours……….😢

laflame69 :

nothing kills a man more than his own thoughts.

Fanged Dowager🇵🇸🇨🇺🇮🇷 :

Never knew that there was a name for this! Highway hypnosis and automaticity

1121jc :

me smh!

AuraGuerrero :

😳😳😳 Interesting

pretty_geek_ :

Me everyday

Tessa_Layne :