• Question: do we ever stop thinking?

    Asked by jlslover99 to Ailsa, Evan, James, Kath, Ryan on 21 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Ailsa Powell

      Ailsa Powell answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      I don’t think we do really. We are always thinking while we are awake, even if you aren’t solving problems your brain is still working away. And when we are sleeping, dreams are evidence that our brains are working and thinking.

    • Photo: Evan Keane

      Evan Keane answered on 20 Jun 2011:

      No. It doesn’t matter if you try not to think – some thoughts are automatic and you can’t decide to turn them off.

    • Photo: Ryan Ladd

      Ryan Ladd answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      I guess it depends what you mean by “thinking”. Our brains are always doing things like breathing or making our heart beat (the automatic things that I think Evan is talking about) but some people would say we aren’t always thinking intelligently. Some people try to empty their minds when meditating and I wonder if you can really say we’re thinking when in deep sleep and not dreaming. This becomes more of a philosophical question rather than a scientific one though!

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