ELI5: What’s is the reason or psychology behind humans always looking up and into the distance when trying to remember or recall something while talking to someone? Is it to direct brain power away from analysing the other person’s face and into trying to remember the stuff?
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For me, that’s pretty much it. My ex used to ask if i was angry whenever I was concentrating on something in my mind, because apparently I switch off the sending of signals as well as the receiving.
you kind of answered it yourself already: reducing sensory input (looking at something relatively static) allows most people to focus more / direct their attention better.
you could think of it in a similar way to someone talking to them while they’re trying to remember something – it introduces more information while they’re trying to direct their attention elsewhere.
also, humans are experts at facial processing, with areas of the brain dedicated to just that. we’re heavily attuned to analyzing others’ facial features for social feedback, so looking at a face would add noise to their cognitive processing
Yes, if there is something important I need to hear in a presentation, class or meeting, I deliberately avoid to look on the speaker in order to concentrate on what they say, not on how they are dressed, smile or gesticulate while talking.