Whether you’re at a job interview trying to convey your qualifications or on a date sharing a funny story, sometimes your mind just goes blank at the worst possible moment.
Researchers estimate that this mental state, often referred to as ‘mind blanking,’ can occupy between five to 20 percent of our waking hours.
Many people recognize that ‘mind blanking’ involves an absence of thoughts, distractions, and emotions, resulting in a moment of complete emptiness.
While the body remains awake, consciousness typically pauses during these fleeting moments, prompting scientists to investigate why this occurs.
Neurologist Esteban Munoz-Musat explains: “Mind blanking is defined as the complete absence of mental content that can be described to others. No mental images, no catchy tune looping in your head, no obsessive thoughts… nothing!
“This experience is often sought after by practitioners of meditation or mindfulness. But it isn’t confined to them: it seems to be very common after intense, prolonged cognitive effort — such as a university exam — or in cases of sleep deprivation.”
Researchers at Sorbonne Université in Paris examined 62 adults in an experiment where they had to decide whether to press a button upon seeing a smiley face or the number three, testing their ability to maintain focus during a monotonous task.
Every 40-70 seconds, participants were asked to report what was on their minds just before the prompt, with mind blanking occurring about 16 percent of the time.
Mind wandering was more frequent, reportedly making individuals more impulsive and quicker, yet also more prone to errors in the task.
During episodes of mind blanking, participants were less effective at visual processing, more prone to errors, and often felt drowsy.
These behaviors are similar to those observed during sleep, with neural activity potentially resembling that of deep sleep or anesthesia.
Thomas Andrillon, a senior author of the study, remarked: “These observations suggest that during a mind blanking episode, participants had reduced access to sensory information from their environment.
“These new data support an emerging idea: being awake does not necessarily mean being conscious of something. Mind blanking corresponds to a genuine interruption in the stream of thoughts.”
The findings offer an intriguing perspective on the nature of wakefulness and continuous awareness.
However, it’s important to note that not all study participants experienced mind blanking, highlighting its variability among individuals.