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It's a bit disconcerting when you catch yourself zoning out while doing something. Seconds, maybe even minutes go by as your mind drifts off, and your body, hands and perhaps even feet just keep going. Hopefully, this happens while you are doing something safe or unimportant, but fortunately, internet users have compiled the times' something a bit more silly happened.

People were asked to share their own stories with mental autopilot in a Twitter thread that went viral. So make sure you are seated somewhere comfortable, scrolling through and upvoting your favorites. And if you want to learn about more bizarre things people have done, you can find more stories on this topic here and here.

Image credits: UberFacts

#2

Weirdest-Things-People-Did-While-Brain-Autopilot

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Uncanny
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is a good idea. When all machines become self aware and take over the world, they’ll remember your good manners. 👍

Robert T
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Accidentally? I talk to the automated self-checkouts. Usually to tell them things like "yes, I know", "this is not the first time I've done this", or "shut up". :D

Tim
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Please place the item in the bagging area" "GDit, I'm trying to... give me more than 3 tenths of a second.

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Alexia
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I said "sorry, may I pass please?" to a mannequin in a clothes shop. Got no response. Such rudeness :)))))

Full of Giggles
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I apologize to everything I bump into. Kids, old ladies, a wall, a traffic cone, a vase…

Chocolate llama
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

it's always good to make friends with machines in case of the robot uprising

JoJo Anisko
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Responding "Thank you, you too" to your waiter's "enjoy your meal."

TheQueenZ
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, same. Happens all the time. Though maybe our politeness will save us if the robots ever do stage an uprising.

SuperChicken
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I sometimes do this. Also, I thank my pots/pan/cooking/cleaning, when things are going smoothly. I'm hopeless 😂

Ginger Ghost
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

SHERLOCK: You took your time. JOHN: Er ... I didn’t get the shopping. SHERLOCK: What? Why not? JOHN: I had a row in the shop. With the chip and pin machine. SHERLOCK: You had a row with a machine? JOHN: Well, sort of. It sat there and I shouted abuse.

Nikki Sevven
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tried to open the microwave door by using my phone as a remote. Took me way too long to figure out why it wouldn't work. Chronic insomnia is like being on drugs when you're not.

Jason
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just need to respond with I love you too for some extra internal cringe

Yvonne Dauwalder Balsiger
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Smart! You will live a lot longer in the matrix than my team colleague who had a serious case of rage against the coffee machine on Monday. 🤣

Randy Volz
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I said, "Excuse me" when I bumped into a lamp post...that I knew was a lamp post.

Pie
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I always say thank you to machines and ai. I want my satnav remembering I'm polite when... you know...

visacrum
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For me, it's never accidental. I always want to be in the good graces of our robot overlords.

Kyndal T
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I do that on purpose. I talk to inanimate objects a ton. I also have full conversations with my dog and cats. They're treated better than peoples because I like them much better than peoples.

Jennie Brown
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My grandma always says thank you to parking ticket machines "thank you thing!"

Jane Hower
Community Member
1 year ago

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Or saying 'Thanks Hon' or "Goodbye Hon' to totally inappropriate people on the phone.

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Firstly, you might wonder why our brains decide that we shouldn’t be concentrating at a given time. Scientists refer to this feature (or bug) as Default Mode Network or DMN, though the less-specific mind-wandering can also be used. Basically, if the correct circumstances are met, like doing an activity you have ample experience with, your brain will “push” the taste to the background, allowing you to start thinking about something else, even when you don’t actually want this to happen. 

Driving is one of the most common activities that causes people’s minds to wander. If the individual is an experienced driver and isn’t generally stressed while on the road, they may quickly enter an auto-pilot-like state. This isn’t necessarily a danger to other drivers or pedestrians, but the individual might end up driving to the wrong location or missing an exit or turn. But some studies indicate that up to half of road accidents are the result of one or more parties not paying attention behind the wheel. 

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#5

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James016
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I did this after I just moved into my house, picked up a takeaway and drove back to the old flat. I didn't realise until I tried to park the car in my old space.

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As people age, their mind tends to wander less, as researchers have found evidence that older adults are more conscientious than younger adults. This is directly linked with less mind-wandering, however, other personality traits can still influence how “present” or not a person is when doing a familiar task. For example, people with ADHD are more prone to spontaneous mind wandering.

#8

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Pheonixvatoreii
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Am I the only one who finds it irritating when your glasses steam up, and then some person goes 'your glasses are steaming up!' No genius I just thought it was foggy inside!

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#9

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Edgar Rops
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I did that while talking on the phone. And the guy I was talking to was giving me tips where to look.

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But this shouldn’t be construed to mean that one’s mind wandering is a sign of attention deficiencies in general. We spend almost a quarter of the time thinking about things that are completely unrelated to the task or situation in front of us. This is somewhat frightening, considering the amount of time we spend, driving, cooking with fire and knives, and other activities where even a minor slip-up can have grave consequences. 

#11

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#12

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Brocken Blue
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh I feel this. My spouse and I had a bad round of Covid in March 2020 and were sick for months. Our tv remote was lost for 9 damn months afterwards and we *still* occasionally run into movies we 100% forgot we watched while sick.

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Similar to mind-wandering, many people also have stories of general absent-mindedness. During this time, their body starts to do something automatically. These processes are called automatisms to reflect how the body performs them naturally. Interestingly, when we make a mistake during automation, we tend to blame the body part, not ourselves. So if you are daydreaming about a vacation while sorting papers and get a papercut, you might consider your hand, not your lapse in attention, responsible. 

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#14

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Robert T
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mum used to joke about having some idiot pull out in front of her and washing her windscreen at him. :D

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#21

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Alexia
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Put my wallet in the fridge, along with the food. Desperately looked for the wallet for the next 40 minutes. Opened the fridge again to get a refreshing drink before staring to look again, and my wallet greeted me from behind the eggs box =)))

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#25

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SuperChicken
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I used to wear contacts, sometimes I'd forget that I already took it out. So there I was pinching my eyes, trying to remove it.

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#27

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FrostMoon Willow
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I once put a plate in the fridge (empty plate) but I don’t remember doing it. Not really autopilot because I may have been having an absent seizure lol

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#33

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troufaki13
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm picturing your stomach giving you instructions "turn left, now right... aahh I see the arches! We are here! hehehe"

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#34

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meowi.anne
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I do this sort of thing regularly. Most of the time i forget what i just said and have to ask, "wait what did i just say"

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#35

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JoJo Anisko
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, if that wasn't a common occurrence, they wouldn't have built in the safety feature.

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#37

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Dr
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You probably need to get out of your car and walk a little more often.

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#38

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waddles
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

once i did this when i was slightly younger but it was on purpose i was trying to see what happened to the fridge light

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#39

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meowi.anne
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Once i put my remote in my purse and took it to work. Took me forever to find that damn remote later that night

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#42

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Thee8thsense
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

While in high school, went two stops too far on the bus because I was zoned out.

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#45

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#47

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#51

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Nurichwersonst
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thats a psychic phenomenon and actually has a name but i really can't remember what it's called. 😅

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#55

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#56

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Libstak
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is why I only listen to the radio if I know I am alert. I'm terrified of zoning out at the wrong place and wrong time and having an accident.

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#58

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Andrew Roop
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The nj turnpike is not state long. Only the parkway goes all the way to the southern tip.

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#62

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