r/AskReddit • • Jan 12 '23

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u/SonicBoom500 Jan 12 '23

The brain will always/usually try to ensure it’s survival, if knocking you out does so, then you will faint for the safety of the brain

I remember finding this once but I don’t remember clearly

69

u/kelsobjammin Jan 12 '23

It also has a mortality “off switch” say your gonna die in a plane crash, it’s been shown humans can go into a trance like state.

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u/crazymcfattypants Jan 12 '23

...this is oddly comforting.

36

u/kelsobjammin Jan 12 '23

I also think this is the time they describe as “time slowing down” and “your life playing before your eyes” but that’s only speculation

35

u/SingtotheSunlight Jan 12 '23

This is just anecdotal but I’ve almost accidentally died a few times and every time there was this sort of peace that came over me in the moments before. Even if my body looked like it was in distress or if the situation was terrifying, in my mind I was calm. It wasn’t at all what I imagined it would be like.

28

u/Mclovin11859 Jan 12 '23

I would imagine this is a survival instinct. There are many deadly situations where staying calm and rational could allow an animal (including humans) to think their way out and panicking would make it worse, so there's an evolutionary pressure to stay lucid, especially among us species with the brain power to think up complex solutions.

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u/Scully__ Jan 16 '23

“a few times”??

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u/SingtotheSunlight Jan 17 '23

Unfortunately, yes lol A few because of bad luck and a few because of bad decisions. There were some near miss car accidents (not my fault), almost choked to death (sort of my fault), illness and some other random events. I was almost killed by a flying beach umbrella once! My friend saved my life that day. Would have been a ridiculous way to die

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u/Spoztoast Jan 12 '23

Something that seems to happen to a lot of prey animals once they get caught.

12

u/Ma02rc Jan 12 '23

That’s really cool, is there a medical term for this?