# What's on your mind? Nothing???

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-mind-nothing/252266>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 26, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-mind-nothing/252266 "2004-06-26T01:34:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Thaumaturge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@Thaumaturge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thaumaturge)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-mind-nothing/252266/21 "2004-06-26T19:51:40Z")

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This is one one of the most annoying questions ever. All it does is serve to break my chain of thought.

If I was thinking about something coherent and worth sharing, I’d share it. Since I didn’t share it, it was not one or the other. I will always answer this question with “nothing”, or silence.

But I digress, yes I am always thinking about _something_. I used to do transcendental meditation, but haven’t for a long time. Then I was actually not thinking about anything, but an interruption then would be even more annoying.

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**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-mind-nothing/252266/22 "2004-06-26T20:11:43Z")

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> [@Thaumaturge](#):
>
> This is one one of the most annoying questions ever. All it does is serve to break my chain of thought.
> 
> If I was thinking about something coherent and worth sharing, I’d share it. Since I didn’t share it, it was not one or the other. I will always answer this question with “nothing”, or silence.
> 
> But I digress, yes I am always thinking about _something_. I used to do transcendental meditation, but haven’t for a long time. Then I was actually not thinking about anything, but an interruption then would be even more annoying.

Really.  
Sometimes when I’m asked this question, I feel a little sheepish that I may be ignoring the person I’m with. I usually answer truthfully, or explain (simply) that it wouldn’t make much sense to the other person. But I _love_ attention.  
Ask **cabdude** if you don’t believe me.  
🆒

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**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-mind-nothing/252266/23 "2004-06-26T20:22:56Z")

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The funny thing is now that I have been asked a question about what I am thinking all I seem to be able to do is think about what I am thinking about.  
The time when I can’t avoid thinking is in bed, which is why I have trouble sleeping. The time when it’s easiest to not be thinking is when I am watching TV or playing a computer game. There doesn’t seem to be any conscious introspection or retrospection going on during those activities, my thinking then is unnoticeable and almost automatic (I am unaware that I am thinking)

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-mind-nothing/252266/24 "2004-06-26T20:46:19Z")

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About 40% of the time, the contents of my head aren’t verbal thoughts. Sometimes I could still answer: “Actually, I was playing back a snippet of an instrumental bridge section of a Michael Hurley song in my head, it’s where the banjo twink twanks along and it sounds like he’s deliberately detuning it as he goes…”; sometimes I could answer you if I thought you really and truly cared but it would go something like: “The parallel lines formed by the art-deco cornices over there with the light coming in past the shades like it is, after that good meal we just had, contentment something about a box on a shelf, and from a long time ago, somewhere, peace and belonging-ness, dust, like weeds, sometimes things like that are as they are supposed to be, when I was a very tiny kid I asked ‘what is that’ and they said ‘sunbeams’ and what I was aking about was the dance of little dust motes visible in the sunlight coming in the window, so to me for years the little dancing dust motes were sunbeams, the way older buildings settle in slouch and rounded corners new things have too many sharper angles, they are only as they are defined to be, and contentment comes from wear, have you noticed?”; but more often than not I myself would be unable to put it into words even in my own mind, the answer to your question is that what was on my mind was all abstract and the verbal part was lying idle.

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**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-mind-nothing/252266/25 "2004-06-26T20:48:02Z")

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**muttrox** blames an empty mind on;

> [@](#):
>
> What do you think about at orgasm – for many the mind goes blank.

For many men that would include when watching or talking sports. 😃

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**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-mind-nothing/252266/26 "2004-06-26T20:55:21Z")

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When asking someone what they are thinking about you seem to expect a profound answer about some esoteric subject of someting extememely munday.

The “nothing” answer is the equivalent of “It is none of your d… business.”

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**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-mind-nothing/252266/27 "2004-06-26T23:33:29Z")

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> [@spingears](#):
>
> When asking someone what they are thinking about you seem to expect a profound answer about some esoteric subject of someting extememely munday.
> 
> The “nothing” answer is the equivalent of “It is none of your d… business.”

Who, oh excitable one, is the “you” you’re referring to? And why on munday?  
And if I ask “How are you?”, am I again invading your privacy?  
FYI, mundane means “ordinary”, or “everyday”. Like that, Crocker.

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**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-mind-nothing/252266/28 "2004-06-27T08:00:51Z")

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> [@AHunter3](#):
>
> About 40% of the time, the contents of my head aren’t verbal thoughts. Sometimes I could still answer: “Actually, I was playing back a snippet of an instrumental bridge section of a Michael Hurley song in my head, it’s where the banjo twink twanks along and it sounds like he’s deliberately detuning it as he goes…”; sometimes I could answer you if I thought you really and truly cared but it would go something like: “The parallel lines formed by the art-deco cornices over there with the light coming in past the shades like it is, after that good meal we just had, contentment something about a box on a shelf, and from a long time ago, somewhere, peace and belonging-ness, dust, like weeds, sometimes things like that are as they are supposed to be, when I was a very tiny kid I asked ‘what is that’ and they said ‘sunbeams’ and what I was aking about was the dance of little dust motes visible in the sunlight coming in the window, so to me for years the little dancing dust motes were sunbeams, the way older buildings settle in slouch and rounded corners new things have too many sharper angles, they are only as they are defined to be, and contentment comes from wear, have you noticed?”; but more often than not I myself would be unable to put it into words even in my own mind, the answer to your question is that what was on my mind was all abstract and the verbal part was lying idle.

Are you just gonna hold on to that, or are you going to pass it?

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-mind-nothing/252266/29 "2004-06-27T08:04:36Z")

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Sorry, dude. There’s still some good hits if you’re carrying a lighter

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**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-mind-nothing/252266/30 "2004-06-27T08:11:10Z")

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:d

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**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-on-your-mind-nothing/252266/31 "2004-06-27T08:12:18Z")

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Umm, 😃 that is.

Damnit.

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