Scientists argue that mind blanking is a distinct state of consciousness. This differs from mind-wandering, according to new research. The study, a review of existing data, was conducted by researchers from Belgium, France, and Australia.
The authors, experts in consciousness research, collaborated after an annual conference. Athena Demertzi from the University of Liège noted that mind-blanking is gaining interest among researchers studying cognition and sleep. Cognitive scientists recognize moments of blankness during wakefulness.
Researchers reviewed data from around 80 research papers. They measured brain activity during reported moments of volunteers having nothing on their mind. The team's findings were published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
The study suggests that people experience mind blanking between 5% and 20% of the time on average. Mind blanking is linked to unique patterns of brain activity. Brain scans revealed reduced activity in certain brain regions during mind blanking.
More research is needed to confirm these findings. Scientists aim to answer open questions about the nature of mind blanking. They hope their work inspires others to pay more attention to blanking out.