We have two distinct brain networks whose activity is mutually exclusive: the default mode network (DMN) and the frontoparietal network (FPN, AKA central executive or task positive network). The DMN handles social relationships (among other things), while the FPN handles complex problem-solving—so if you’re engaged in what your brain thinks is a social interaction, it activates the DMN and deactivates the FPN.
this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2025
49 points (96.2% liked)
Ask Lemmy
34592 readers
1264 users here now
A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions
Rules: (interactive)
1) Be nice and; have fun
Doxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them
2) All posts must end with a '?'
This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?
3) No spam
Please do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.
4) NSFW is okay, within reason
Just remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com.
NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].
5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions.
If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.
6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world or !askusa@discuss.online
Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.
Partnered Communities:
Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
That's really interesting. I've got adhd, and I hadn't read about the role the DMN plays in adhd until I followed up on your comment. It's given me a lot think about. Thanks!
So what's happening in the brain of people who perform well in these circumstances? 🤔
Two likely possibilities:
- They’re tuning out the social aspects of the situation enough that the DMN can disengage, or
- They’re so habituated to the task that they no longer need to consciously think about it (what OP calls “muscle memory”).
Or in theory, they might have learned the skill in such a way that the DMN can do it without the FPN—like if they treat it as a form of storytelling.
That was insightful, thanks
They never had the FPN to begin with!
Performance anxiety.
being shy?
I'm shy like hell, It's even worse so when I do things I love, like writing or sketching. I fought that by forcing myself to do those in public as often as I could. At first it was... painful but it quickly stopped being an issue. Nowadays, I'm still shy but I don't even think about it... a bit like I don't think about me being bald ;)
I get this from observing myself.
Like if I don't think about it at all I can touch-type, but the moment I'm aware of it I need to look at the keyboard.