Can we ever stop thinking? by Mitchell Shabansky
Article By Yasemin Saplakoglu
As humans, we often find ourselves in an endless thought loop. And every so often, we try to stop this endless flow of thoughts by telling ourselves to just stop thinking. But is this even possible?
The type of thinking that we are addressing where endless thought loops are created can, in theory, be silenced. That’s presumably what meditation is all about.
There’s a difference between having a thought, and being aware that you’re having a thought. For example, when you ask someone what they’re thinking about and they say “nothing,” it’s likely they just aren’t aware that they’re having thoughts. Alongside this, people who are thinking of “nothing” could also be experiencing a stream of consciousness thoughts that don’t tell a coherent story.
But the brain never stops “thinking.” Most thoughts are actually happening in the background without us being aware of them, there’s not really anyway to turn off these thoughts.
Even while we make decisions, it mainly takes place unconsciously. For example, some of this background “thinking” we credit to what we call a “gut feeling.”
https://www.livescience.com/can-you-ever-stop-thinking.html
Do you think meditation is a reliable way to stop us from thinking?
Do you believe we unconsciously make decisions before we make them?
What’s the difference between thoughts we are aware of and thoughts we aren’t aware of?
We always make unconscious desisons our body knows what it's gonna do before we do -jo
ReplyDeleteStopping thinking should not be anyone's goal. It's impossible.
ReplyDeleteMeditation can be used to help people be more mindful, not numb. To not think is to be dead, unconscious thoughts are constantly working to keep us alive and such. Unconscious actions are often instinct, what occurs in the brain stem is like undercover thinking.
Also, people often say 'nothing' when they just don't want to tell you what they are thinking about, or they don't think it's important.
But, one should not strive for the type of mental clarity that is to be dead in the brain. You can never stop thinking, and that's a good thing. In my opinion. - Grace Briggs
I don't think we make decisions unconsciously, I think that we may lose control of what we're doing and may not be aware of our actions. But while you are not in control of your emotions I feel you can still make decisions for yourself just not in a way you would like when you are in control of your emotions.
ReplyDeleteI think we unconsciously make decisions before we make them. We always keep thinking and I think there is no way to stop thinking. - Riki Tanaka
ReplyDeleteI think we unconsciously make decisions all the time because there are so many points in a person's life where they may do something without really thinking about it but it's normally because their brain is used to the action - Nathaniel H.
ReplyDeleteI believe that we unconsciously make decisions before we are actually aware of them- in a fight or flight situation, this can be seen in the way we rapidly make a decision versus how much slower we make decisions when we aren't pressured to do so.
ReplyDeleteI do find it to be of interest that the human mind is always going. It is mentioned that meditation is one of the only ways to stop your mind from thoughts, but even that is hard work and takes determination. I also believe that the unconscious mind has a lot to do with emotions, because we as humans suppress so many of our emotions. It is important to not hide a single one, because then it will bottle up and only enhance the emotion. -Tori Favazza
ReplyDeleteyes i had never heard of the idea that once you hear the question, you have an answer right away, and i think thats soo cool and i agree i do think that you are always leaning towards one side. -kaylyn sharp
ReplyDeleteI think its interesting that we have the answer to the question right when we get asked- Connor Ortmann
ReplyDeleteYou see now that i am thinking about it yes even when my mouth stops talking my brain is constantly thinking of something. And that is so weird that humans can speak constantly. If i could have a super power I would love to read peoples thoughts. - Anushka
ReplyDeleteThe human brain is a such a complex part of our body. I think that meditation is an excellent resource to help control our thoughts and to help ourselves stay and calm and become more capable of handling situations. Relying on meditation to stop our thoughts would be unwise but it certainly is a great way to help control our thoughts and ease ourselves so that we can think more clearly. -Haleigh Madi
ReplyDeleteI believe we subconsciously make decisions before we are even aware of it. -Sawyer L
ReplyDeleteI think that this is a very interesting topic. It made me look at things from a different perspective. I never realized that we for real make decisions unconsciously. I never knew that when I don't think I am thinking that I actually am thinking just without knowing it. This shows me just how complex the human mind is and our trans of thought as humans. -Andrew
ReplyDeleteDo you ever think about how when someone asks what you're thinking about and you're thinking about them asking you what you're thinking about. -Shannon Easley
ReplyDeleteThought can become a prison from ideological freedom. -Matt Schnaare
ReplyDeleteI think we make decisions before we even know were making a decision -brooke Phelan
ReplyDelete