Have you ever been standing in the shower and suddenly asked yourself "Did I just shampoo my hair or not?". And for the life of you, you can't remember. Wait--that's not the weird part. What is weird is that I'm unaware of such a phenomenon ocurring in any other circumstance. Are you? I can't imagine going to the kitchen, having a drink of water and after going back to what you were doing asking yourself "Did I just have a drink of water?". It just doesn't happen. Has anyone ever studied this? Do they remember having studied it? :)
2006-09-14 09:46:18 · 17 answers · asked by vinny_the_hack 5 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
To the people who thought this is not normal, you are the ones that are crazy.
This is not the same thing as going to the kitchen (or up/down the starirs) and forgetting why you went there.
The closest example is the pill-taking. But I would imagine that less than a minute after having taken the pill, you would remember--only later might you wonder if you did. In the shower, you can forget mere seconds later.
I love the car examples. Both have happened to me and can be very startling and or disconcerting.
2006-09-14 10:53:07 · update #1
I may be crazy, but it isn't because I forget whether I washed my hair. :)
2006-09-14 10:54:55 · update #2
Humans are creatures of habit. Often times we habitually do something and it loses it significance or impact on us.
If I am thirsty, I drink water and realize that I am no longer thirsty or look down and see the water has changed levels.
Sometimes I smoke and within 2 minutes of putting it out, I wonder if I just smoked and light up again.
Shampooing your hair, beside the smell seems to be habitual and something you do but really don't pay attention to.
I do the same thing all the time and I have a good memory, but for new info only.
2006-09-14 09:58:50 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That happens to me quite often but, in order to see if i had done the things i thought i did i developed OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder. Now i organize everything, when i take a shower i do it in steps. and i count. when i go get a drink of water i count the number of ice cubes i use and how many seconds it takes for the glass to fill up. its a bit annoying but it helps me on what i had to do.
The main reason why this occurs is because the person has too many things on the mind at the same time. Thinking if your pregnant or something like that is more mind consuming that thinking if you had a glass of water.
2006-09-14 09:53:51 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it's related to the Veil of Forgetfulness that periodically occupies stairwells- you go downstairs, intending to do something, and then by the time you get to the bottom of the stairs, you simply cannot remember what you went down there to do... But when you go back upstairs, you remember!
2006-09-14 09:57:49 · answer #3 · answered by Megan S 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a prescription medicine I take daily. I have already stood there & had to think as to whether or not I had taken my pill for that. Because I do it everyday 1 day blends into the next sometimes,....I guess.
It's OK you're not losing your mind. As long as you question yourself you're OK very much sane.
It's when you don't question that you're losing your mind.
2006-09-14 10:28:25 · answer #4 · answered by paintressa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I haven't had those exact situations, but many times, I've walked into the kitchen and said, "Now why did I come out here??" But I have an excuse: I'm in Mid-Geezerhood.
2006-09-14 09:59:58 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yea me too. or how bout this: when i'm driving somewhere, ill just be driving along and then all the sudden i'm like, whoa, where the heck am i? whens the last time i looked at the road? kinda scary, but i guess some things just get so automatic that we dont even nocie them.
its called automaticity, we just learned about it in psych class
2006-09-14 10:05:58 · answer #6 · answered by Daisy® 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes when your brain starts forgetting the most basic things it's called the ageing process...your getting old
2006-09-14 09:58:27 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you sound pretty normal to me! I find that it usually happens when you are doing something routine that you do every day...meanwhile, you are thinking about something else that so completely occupies your mind that you forget that your body is doing something entirely different.
2006-09-14 10:22:48 · answer #8 · answered by Saura 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
People who are really stressed out will sometimes forget little things like that.
2006-09-14 09:55:08 · answer #9 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i can't tell you how many times i go do something, stand there with this dumb look on my face, and couldn't for the life of me remember why or what it is i was going to do. i actually have to leave that spot, go back to where i was and try to retrace my steps to remember what it is i was going to do!!!!!! weird and kinda scary!
2006-09-14 09:57:44 · answer #10 · answered by thesebootsaremadeforwalkin' 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋