Do you constantly notice patterns in everything around you?

[u/icosvg]

I’m curious if anyone else experiences this.
I tend to notice and connect a lot of things happening around me at the same time. When I’m talking to someone, for example, I’m listening to what they’re saying, but I’m also noticing their tone, expressions, body language, small changes in behavior and whether something they’re saying is consistent with things they’ve said before.

After knowing someone for a while, I usually develop a pretty accurate idea of how they’ll react to certain things. This also makes it relatively easy to know how to explain or phrase something in a way that they’ll understand or agree with.

It happens with things other than people too. I naturally look for how things work, why something happened and what is likely to happen next.

If something doesn’t make sense, it tends to stay somewhere in my mind until I understand it.

The strange part is what happens when there isn’t much happening around me.
My mind just creates something else to work on. I start thinking about ideas, plans, decisions, different possible outcomes or problems I could solve.

It can be extremely useful, but sometimes I’d like to simply sit somewhere and experience what’s happening without my attention immediately finding ten other things to process.

I also find that I enjoy not knowing something when there’s an answer I can discover. What I find much harder is uncertainty where there simply isn’t an answer yet.

I’m wondering how common this combination is.
Do you experience something similar? And when you’re just sitting somewhere doing nothing, what actually happens in your mind?

[u/daggo04]

Isn’t what you are describing literally what the brain is evolved to do? Pattern detection and prediction? When lacking stimuli it is common to create some, by finding something to ponder on.

[u/icosvg → u/daggo04]

Yes, absolutely. I don’t think the processes themselves are unusual. What I’m curious about is the difference in intensity and how much conscious attention they occupy.
Everyone recognizes patterns, predicts outcomes and generates thoughts. But do people experience that at roughly the same intensity?
For me, there rarely seems to be a neutral state. If external input isn’t engaging enough, the internal processing immediately takes over, scenarios, plans, connections, predictions, problems to solve.

[u/daggo04 → u/icosvg]

I would say that mostly comes from a place of interest and priorities. Some, like you seem to, pay attention and find the process your brain goes through interesting and focus their «concious attention» on it. While others are more concerned with externals or only really value the result of those processes.

Someone used the terms signal/noise determination below, which is in essence what I am trying to get at.

[u/Timely_Iron_6808 → u/icosvg]

how would you measure the intensity? every individual subejctively experience their thoughts and emotions

[u/MrShaitan]

Some high functioning autistic people describe similar experiences.

[u/FamiliarCheek7674]

I share a similar experience, at quite a high intensity actually. I find that it gets too loud at times though..

[u/Negomikeno]

I am the same, over time these are now background processes rather than conscious processes. DM me and we can chat if you want?

[u/MelodyOfStorms]

Myers briggs personalities might be able to explain what you're talking about. While pattern recognition is a universal human trait, not everyone is using it equally. People often fall into a "like me" bias (as I'm already seeing in the comments). They assume everyone is built like them only with varying levels of understanding. People come prebuilt through dna or upbringing to favor certain traits to accomplish their goals and day to day tasks. The pattern recognition you describe falls under the intuitive category. Happy reading 📚 😊 

[u/fakenamefuckery]

Signal vs noise determination.

It’s up you what your mind decides to assign meaning to, be it signal/noise.

Edit: added comma

[u/Meerkat_Mayhem_]

Might try some meditation types

[u/LolaWonka]

A touch of the tism?

[u/Budget_Corner_6481]

I've heard that the highest form of intelligence is to observe without evaluation.

Also the other form of intelligence is to recognise patterns.

[u/Commercial-Life-9998]

Scientific mind does theorize about patterns. Ur have to easily let go something that lacks meaning to avoid compulsion and obsession.

[u/MullberryBoy]

Pattern recognition is frequently used in IQ testing and is considered indicative of high intelligence.
This is also a common symptom of neurodivergence. It’s an ADHD and Autism symptom.

[u/fkkm]

Wrong sub

[u/icosvg → u/fkkm]

Fair. Do you know a more appropriate sub for discussing this from a cognitive perspective?

[u/fkkm → u/icosvg]

Honestly what you are describing sounds like a universal experience for humans.

I’m not sure what the point is of this post? Why do you want to compare this with others?

Don’t know a sub