Living on “Autopilot” Reduces Autobiographical Memory

Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize winner in Economics in 2002—alongside Vernon L. Smith for their theories on behavioral economics—stated that the brain is an energy-saving machine. For this reason, it likes automatisms and relies on experience and intuition.

“The main advantage for the brain when initiating automated and unconscious processes is energy saving,” explains Joaquín Juliá, a psychologist at SHA. “An example would be driving a car. At first, a series of conscious actions need to be repeated until they become automatic. This also leads to speed and greater ease in task execution. This way, we can focus on other vital functions such as paying attention to traffic, memorizing streets, and navigating,” the expert explains.

Living on autopilot is a constant state of survival that is unconsciously activated to perform routine activities automatically.

The mind has a capacity known as procedural memory, an ability that allows us to remember actions through repetition, helping systems to execute them automatically. When procedural memory is activated, you can respond to a conversation, drive your car, ride a bike, walk, or put on your shoes with barely any attention, as these are actions you perform without needing to focus.

However, setting the autopilot also poses some risks. “When a behavior is repeated until it becomes automatic, the brain enters ‘energy-saving mode,’ which can translate into a feeling of excessive relaxation or lowered guard. Continuing with the driving example, the risk would be shifting from automation to less conscious and controlled driving,” Juliá explains.

Unconscious living saves energy, but in the words of the SHA expert, “it equates to living asleep.”

“It’s like a state of hypnotic trance. At this level of consciousness, we are not sufficiently alert to reflect on brain health and its needs. For example, we would be unaware of the need for cognitive stimulation or might minimize its impact on our health. For a stimulus to be perceived, categorized, and processed into a memory, a certain level of emotional activation is needed,” he specifies.

Emotion is what activates our memory, the “glue” that fixes the memory for the long term. “The higher the level of emotionality, the greater the likelihood of fixation. Emotions in an unconscious state are usually superficial, unproductive, based solely on survival, or not taken seriously enough according to the context. In some cases, what could be useful or important is rejected or minimized,” Juliá explains.

In a context of unconscious living or frequent activation of the autopilot, autobiographical memory, which stores the set of experiences and memories (emotions, places visited, relationships, etc.) that make up personal biography, suffers. It’s a part of episodic memory closely linked to our past.

“Although the autopilot is useful in certain situations, if it becomes a habitual state of functioning, it places us in a state of permanent dissatisfaction or complaint,” explains the SHA expert, adding that “thoughts are focused on the past and the future, but rarely on the present. You want others to change. It’s a state of constant struggle and judgment. From this perspective, the memories we retain tend to be viewed through a negative lens, minimizing the positive and, to a large extent, experienced from a victim role.”

The autopilot effect reduces the quality and breadth of perception, as it tends to seek and confirm our own beliefs, reducing the richness and complexity of reality.

In summary, we shouldn’t spend too much time on autopilot. Instead, we should try to live more consciously and pay more attention to our surroundings.

At SHA, efforts are made to live more consciously, which is why holistic strategies and attention tactics are implemented to activate the “autopilot mode” less frequently. Our psychologist recommends taking small breaks during the day so that exhaustion doesn’t cause the brain to enter “war economy mode” and activate its automatisms.

“It’s a conscious learning process that requires a certain amount of willpower and perseverance. One way to achieve this is by connecting with environmental sounds, with our deepest feelings, distancing ourselves from thoughts to observe them with perspective, or becoming aware of the rhythmic movement of breathing. Meeting with people who are on this path of living more consciously can also be very helpful,” Juliá opines.

Some signs that you are in ‘autopilot mode’:

• Constant state of stress, distress, or anxiety
• Thoughts about the past or future, rather than the present
• Little openness to experiencing new things
• Not understanding well why you do things
• Dissatisfaction
• Constant complaints
• Making judgments about reality that prevent you from enjoying the moment
• Feeling like you have many open fronts in your life
• Easily dominated by your thoughts and emotions
• Expecting situations to change due to external causes, and blaming others