Is it normal or common to everybody?

[kenny1999]

Do you find that you are not able to think or analyze things clearly when you are outside, (i.e. Not at home), you are only able to focus on the environment and the problems you see with your eyes and make your direct or natural response to it by your sense, not by your brain?

Why am I asking this question? I find that I am not able to think deeply or clearly when I am outside. For example, a salesman in a street stall talked to me and wanted me to join or subscribe to their mobile or cellular data plan. I had hard time understanding what he said, it wasn't language barrier at all, it was because I wasn't able to think clearly at all if it was a real deal or any hidden charges when I am not at home (BUT in fact, it's not rocket science). I had to write down what he said and brought it back home, sitting on the sofa, then I was able to think very clearly.

Another example is, if I don't write down what to do on a paper or put it in my mobile phone before I go out, I will have hard time recalling what to do when I have gone out. However, it only limits to minor things like buying a new towel, buying a pack of cola, picking up mails in the nearby post office. One time, I had to do a number of minor things like what I have mentioned, I didn't put it into a paper, then when I was outside, I wasn't able to recall at all what to do, then I had to go back home, feeling relaxed, and then I could recall, Oh yea, buying a bag of table salt, a pack of dry cells, and a USB cable for charging (ALL minor things.)

It looks like my brain has shut down partly or totally when I am outside, or at least, hard to run it.

Is it abnormal? Or common to most healthy adults? Is it a sign of getting old? In fact, I am 30+ and not physically active.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by kenny1999

[Intoscience]

I find it depends on the situation, the environment I'm in. If its a busy street with lots of distractions and I'm on my way somewhere then unexpectedly get stopped. My mind can go blank, I'm often too polite to ignore the person but find myself not in the right frame of mind to engage in the conversation with any interest or thought.  As a result I have often got caught up or scammed (luckily not too expensively). But this is common and also a common tactic of the seller. Catching people off guard can  sometimes be very fruitful, especially those that are polite or distracted.

Age plays a part sure, but I wouldn't expect a healthy 30 odd year old to be suffering with cognitive problems unless there was an underlining issue. But your symptoms sound normal to me. One thing to note is lack of exercise and poor diet can have adverse effects on brain functionality, especially around focus and concentration. Also if you are feeling stressed or have a busy agenda, deadlines and all these sorts of things can also impair your thoughts and judgements. 

You may find being outside offers more distractions and also may be an environment that your subconscious brain feels less comfortable with. In this situation you are less likely to think clearly than being at home in your own space.

I do all my deep clear thinking when I'm often at my most relaxed. This is where meditation activities can also help. 

[Genady]

I don't think it is normal or common to everybody. Perhaps it is not rare either, as a list of possible disorders with such symptoms come to mind. As an example, see Auditory Processing Disorder.

[Sensei]

4 hours ago, kenny1999 said:

Do you find that you are not able to think or analyze things clearly

Symptoms sound like "post-COVID-19 brain fog"..

https://www.google.com/search?q=post-covid-19+brain+fog

4 hours ago, kenny1999 said:

Or common to most healthy adults? Is it a sign of getting old? In fact, I am 30+ and not physically active.

^^^ this is common in people who have had COVID-19, even undiagnosed..

 

 

[Phi for All]

This could be something as simple as habit. If you're used to writing things down so you don't forget them, you don't bother to remember them because you usually have a list. When you forget to make a list, you're also forgetting to memorize what you need.

[TheVat]

 Many do their best thinking in certain places.  For some, it may be outside in an open space like a park or woods, for others, a quiet room at home, for others, a library or office.  I know people who do their best thinking sitting in their car, or claim to.  I would guess the general effect, indicated in OP, is that complex and dynamic environments like an urban street with crowds tend to call on the mind to direct attention outward to the immediacy of what's going on.  Also, any setting perceived as unsafe.

My experience is that lists are useful because, for example, modern supermarkets have 50,000 different items and it's easy to lose track of why you came in to the store in the first place.  I go in because we need milk and potatoes and I come out with spinach polenta, pasta sauce, avocados, kettle chips, almonds coated with Himalayan salt,  rice noodles with miso, turmeric gummies, mushroom goulash mix and....wait, why did I come in here?  (If I don't have a list, I usually go to produce aisle, where anything I've forgotten is fairly visible)

 

[Phi for All]

13 minutes ago, TheVat said:

I would guess the general effect, indicated in OP, is that complex and dynamic environments like an urban street with crowds tend to call on the mind to direct attention outward to the immediacy of what's going on.  Also, any setting perceived as unsafe.

This seems reasonable. Many folks have sensory issues where loud sounds, harsh smells, hot/cold/windy weather, and flashing lights take too much brainpower to process. We evaluate our environment almost constantly when it's not super familiar, and tons of input can slow us down. 

[kenny1999]

Hi all I am the thread starter,

Let me give a less complicated example.

If I don't put down on a list about what to buy in the supermarket or grocery stores, e.g. vegetables, fruits, drinks, etc. and if it's more than 5 items, I have hard time in the street recalling what to buy by my brain,

The only solution is EITHER go back home, sit down, and think

OR walk around the big grocery stores without any direction, but look around everything and when I see the things I need, then I can recall, Oh yea, that's it.

 

Is it abnormal?

 

 

[iNow]

Too many variables go into memory and recall to assess. Not abnormal. Stop obsessing. Breathe deeply and move on. 

[Peterkin]

On 12/9/2022 at 3:13 AM, kenny1999 said:

Is it abnormal?

No. It's quite common.

Some people have better recall than others, partly due to natural inclination, partly to practice. If, for example, you have a job where you need to learn a new set of data for each assignment and forget it for the next, you will have developed the medium-term memory more and the long term retrieval less than someone who needs to accumulate a permanent knowledge base. In that case, you will have greater success with grocery lists, while he remembers everyone's birthday.  Different uses of the equipment, that's all. 

As for being outside, there are many kinds of 'outside'. Some of those places, indeed, all unfamiliar places, are full of potential hazards that require constant vigilance. For deep thought, you need a place where you feel secure enough to relax your guard. Wherever you could fall asleep, you can also think. I used to have some of my best ideas at symphony concerts - it's safe, comfortable, and only one faculty needs to engage with the external world.

Edited December 10, 2022 by Peterkin