Brain ‘wipes’ repetitive tasks

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For example, there’s a lock on my bathroom door. It’s been there since I was a kid so I’ve been using it as long as I remember. The thing is I never actually remember going through with the act of locking the door. If I couldn’t see the door was locked I would’ve thought I’d never closed it. Same with turning the shower off. I never remember actually pressing the button to turn it off, I just remember getting out and then I see the shower is off. Is this a normal thing? Does the brain just not bother to record repetitive tasks as memories?

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Comments ( 6 )
  • TrustMeImLying
    3 years ago

    You're spot on. It's how the mind works thanks to evolution. It happens a lot during driving too, especially commutes. You aren't conscious of which exits/turns to take, yet somehow always arrive at your destination. It's a little eerie and unnerving, but also very cool

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  • olderdude-xx
    3 years ago

    Operating from habit produces the lowest number of errors.

    Yes, your brain often does not remember the things you do out of a well established habit.

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    • [Old Memory]
      3 years ago

      I disagree

      Habits use less energy

      Critical thinking and deductive reasoning skills are what yields fewer mistakes

      Being able to rely on your expectations is the golden middle ground, it's like taking mental short cuts built on advanced thinking

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      • olderdude-xx
        3 years ago

        Numerous studies indicate what I said is true. There is a whole field of research and investigation into incidents concerning when humans make errors. Aviation, Medical, Nuclear, and Transportation are very interested in reducing errors (and I'm a trained root cause investigator in the nuclear power industry. This is the same kind of investigation that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) does for major transportation accidents (and I've had the same training as those people).

        If you've never done it before - and you have to think about it - the error rate is very high (between 30 and 50%).

        You want workers working in their routine and from their trained habits to minimize mistakes; because in certain industries mistakes cost lives, huge amounts of money, or both.

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        • [Old Memory]
          3 years ago

          I've seen lots of people make mistakes just by going off habit

          It's possible that study and my golden median are more similar than different

          As for the work industry, it makes sense they want monotony and efficiency and have found a way to scientifically explain away thinking for their employees

          But as far as humanity goes, doing the same mindlessly repetitive tasks isn't really healthy and still leads to mistakes

          A few thousand years ago we had to figure out how to get fruit and meat, and it wasn't by going to the same bush and feeding ground every day

          I agree that the first few times will probably fail, but after utilizing critical thinking and deductive reasoning skills, a hunter gatherer can develop talent

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  • [Old Memory]
    3 years ago

    I used to experience this a lot

    Through the arduous nature of life, I've become adept at absorbing and keeping track of a lot of information from my immediate environment

    For example, I can set something down and I always let go in a way that let's me know if it'll tip over, even if it's a sauce bottle for a pizza in the middle of a rush

    I can be making eye contact with someone during a conversation and I'll notice something that would behoove me to respond to in something as obscure as the reflection on glass or through my peripheral vision

    I can even pull off spider man moves and catch falling things and prevent myself from tripping with a 99.9999% accuracy rate (I'm talking years going by with only 1 or 2 trips)

    When you do things like hydroplane into a ditch because you're trying to get into the next lane and the asshole wants to maintain that 1 foot distance while your blinker is on and you notice he hits the brakes because a moped a few hundred feet in front of you suddenly becomes visible

    Or if you jump off a porch over a bush because that's what everyone else is doing at some gold digger's family friend's house and you end up being the only one to tear the ligaments in your foot

    Or you know when you drop or break things that are important to you

    Or just fuck yourself over because of your own inadequate assessment skills

    You learn to become so self aware you're always ready for anything

    Some downsides though, I'm almost always mentally fatigued (persistent as hell though) and I'm never really relaxed or comfortable (except when I'm home with nowhere to be or nothing to do)

    Interacting with people, it's hard to be in the moment with them. I'm always processing what I should do and paying attention to a lot of little things, both environmentally and socially

    I'm mostly fine with those costs since I don't really talk to anyone for recreation and I have goals to meet

    I do long for company though, which is probably my biggest interpersonal flaw, and also why I decided to come back here again

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