Researchers are using two brain scanning techniques to find out what happens when the mind goes completely blank. (Image: Grafissimo/Getty Images)
You look up from your phone and suddenly realize you weren't thinking about anything. It's not a memory loss or a daydream; it's actually a moment when you're not thinking at all.
Neuroscientists have a term for this phenomenon: “mind blanking,” which they describe as a brief state of wakefulness in which conscious thought simply ceases.
It was once thought that our waking minds were constantly producing thoughts, but recent research challenges this notion. Mind blanking is now understood to be a distinct state of consciousness associated with changes in arousal, which neuroscientists define as alertness and responsiveness to stimuli. Some scientists believe that studying this phenomenon may shed light on how consciousness functions.
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Sourse: www.livescience.com
