According to a new survey, people usually go about their lives on “autopilot” without even realizing it. For some it may seem disturbing, but this choice made by the brain to skip processing useless data is actually beneficial. It seems that the brain can be overloaded with “junk” information, and it automatically switches off short-term memory.
The survey was conducted by the Child Accident Prevention Trust, and revealed that 8 out of 10 individuals realize when they suffer from such a sudden memory loss, or don’t keep track of what they do for a small period of time. Some even cross a few streets, buy a magazine and go to work without even realizing the details of their path.
Katrina Philips, who is the Trust’s Chief Executive, believes this mechanism which the brain developed is a good thing for keeping a healthy mind. She said: “We all revert to autopilot just to get through the day – there’s simply too much to remember. But busy parents can use this to their advantage to help keep children safe from serious accidents.”
“The trick is to make safety part of your everyday routine and develop safety habits before your child puts you to the test,” she added.
This type of sensory mechanism can help people in their struggle to keep track of more important aspects of life, and free their mind from non-essential information.
The survey was conducted on 5,000 adult individuals, of whom 55% admitted that they used the “autopilot” function to get to work. A quarter of those who got the autopilot running had forgotten all about the travel-related details. The other half of the total made a return trip home because they forgot if they locked the front door or not.
This is not serious enough to trouble people, and can help them develop automated responses to actions that do not require a fully conscious activity from the brain.
