Have you ever experienced a moment when your mind just empties, leaving you clueless about where your thoughts have vanished? A recent study offers insight into this intriguing occurrence.
The phrase “My mind has gone blank” is familiar to many, and you might have said it yourself a number of times.
This is a common experience that occurs to everyone now and then, yet the reason behind it remains a mystery.
However, recent scientific findings have begun to unravel the surprising mechanisms behind it, thanks to a new study.
Interestingly, the frequency and nature of this ‘mind blank’ phenomenon vary among individuals, revealing some unexpected insights.
Athena Demertzi, the lead author of the study, mentioned that the objective was to ‘better understand mind blanking’.
To achieve this, the team meticulously reviewed 80 relevant research articles, including some of their own, where they monitored participants’ brain activity as they reported “thinking of nothing.”
Demertzi, along with colleagues from France, Australia, and Belgium, embarked on this study to delve into the nature of consciousness, which could potentially provide answers.
Through their analysis, the researchers discovered that on average, individuals experience mind blanking between five to 20 percent of the time, with varying personal manifestations.
For instance, those with neuro-developmental disorders like ADHD may experience more frequent episodes of mind blanking.
Additionally, some may differentiate between ‘blanking’ and mind ‘wandering,’ which are distinct experiences.
Mind blanking can occur during periods of sustained focus, sleep deprivation, or intense physical activity.
Moreover, it may be linked to neurological and psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, Kleine-Levin syndrome, or traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Behavioral studies and brain imaging research indicate that during mind blanking, the brain is notably active. Electroencephalography (EEG) shows the mind entering a ‘local sleep’ state, characterized by sleep-like waves, reduced signal complexity, a slower heart rate, and decreased pupil size.
These indicators are typically associated with the onset of sleep.
Further insights were gained from a 2019 study utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), revealing that several brain functions deactivated when individuals deliberately tried to empty their minds.
This deactivation included regions such as the inferior frontal gyrus, Broca’s area, supplementary motor cortex, and the hippocampus.
Nevertheless, Demertzi and the team noted that because these results were obtained from deliberate mind blanking, spontaneous occurrences might yield different outcomes.
“We realize that the investigation of [mind blanks] presents methodological and conceptual challenges,” the researchers acknowledged.
Overall, they propose that mind blanking occurs when the brain is in either a high or low arousal state, hoping their study will inspire further discourse on the subject.