I've been duped by my own mind. Remember that I was supposed to shed and share some input about mind-wandering?

Because of the side effects from my own experimental mind-wandering approaches I've become naturally quite good at turning this blog into a rambling space of pathological random musings about whatever the mind has wandered on, it has ceased to maintain any sort of relevant focus.

Thanks a lot, mind.

But anyways, it shouldn't be that hard for me to get back into course, should it? Oh no. Not again. The mind has got to be kidding me! This is such a dread. Let's just give it a try.

Just to recap: As you've all probably known, alcohol drinking even in the most minute amount can cause your mind to wander even more with a minus.

Your mind does wander without alcohol, but there's the awareness that notices when this occurs. When you're under the influence of alcohol, there's a disruption in this awareness, so that when your mind wanders, you don't notice it.

Being aware that our mind has suddenly taken a detour is vital if we want to still be functional at the physical level. It's mere logic, considering that if the mind fails to take note that it is in a daydreaming state and imagining scenarios that are not physically happening - we may appear to the rest of world as chronic nutbags in need of some medication.

Thus, being aware of our awareness is key.

The thing that is aware of this awareness is called meta-awareness or metacognition. It is an awareness that is self-reflective - a higher awareness of one's progress as a learner. Or a cognition about cognition. In the case of having alcohol in your system this higher cognition then becomes impaired.

For an elaborate dive into the scientific study that backs up this stuff, please visit:

Lost In The Sauce

For a short one that summarizes the key points before your mind wanders, kindly visit:

Wired on alcohol, we become much much more engaged in the stuff that our minds have regurgitated, our mental awareness gets kicked out of kilter. And this is also the simple reason why folks do not ever achieve enlightenment while being drunk.

In the context of the study, subjects who took alcohol mind-wandered more often and were less likely to notice and report that their minds have wandered, compared to those who were sober.

Since the study is about mind-wandering, please refrain from churning negative judgments on folks who drink on occasional basis or self-indulgently.

Also, please stop thinking about how it would be nice to have a stiff drink right now.

Great, you've stopped reading, aren't you?

Know why? Your eyes give it away.

Which brings us to the subject of the seemingly curious fluttering eyelid-activity that actually indicates a physical warning that your mind is slowly easing into the soft fluffy pink cloud of reverieland.

I shall go into the specific details regarding the connection between blinking activity and the mind-wandering phenomenon in the next entry, or in the following future post, in case my mind beats me.

Not my fault, at all, you see.

shanaz@RS | 1:55 AM | Labels: Mind Wander