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Does being awake necessarily mean being conscious of something?

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Title: Does being awake necessarily mean being conscious of something?
Authors: Young, Emma (AUTHOR)
Source: Psychologist. May2026, p10-10. 1p. 1 Color Photograph.
Subjects: Consciousness, Electroencephalography, Selectivity (Psychology), Reaction time, Functional connectivity
Abstract: The article focuses on a recent study by Esteban Munoz-Musat and colleagues at Sorbonne University, which investigates the phenomenon of mind blanking (MB)—periods when an individual is awake but experiences an empty mind. Using EEG recordings and attention tasks with 62 participants, the study found that MB is a distinct mental state characterized by slower reaction times, increased errors, altered brain connectivity, and shifts toward sleep-like brain activity, despite participants remaining behaviorally responsive. The researchers suggest that MB represents a temporary failure of conscious access mechanisms, challenging the traditional view that consciousness is a continuous stream during wakefulness. This study opens new questions about the nature and duration of mental blanks and their role in conscious experience. [Extracted from the article]
Copyright of Psychologist is the property of British Psychological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Does being awake necessarily mean being conscious of something?
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Young%2C+Emma%22">Young, Emma</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Psychologist%22">Psychologist</searchLink>. May2026, p10-10. 1p. 1 Color Photograph.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Consciousness%22">Consciousness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electroencephalography%22">Electroencephalography</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Selectivity+%28Psychology%29%22">Selectivity (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Reaction+time%22">Reaction time</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Functional+connectivity%22">Functional connectivity</searchLink>
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  Data: The article focuses on a recent study by Esteban Munoz-Musat and colleagues at Sorbonne University, which investigates the phenomenon of mind blanking (MB)—periods when an individual is awake but experiences an empty mind. Using EEG recordings and attention tasks with 62 participants, the study found that MB is a distinct mental state characterized by slower reaction times, increased errors, altered brain connectivity, and shifts toward sleep-like brain activity, despite participants remaining behaviorally responsive. The researchers suggest that MB represents a temporary failure of conscious access mechanisms, challenging the traditional view that consciousness is a continuous stream during wakefulness. This study opens new questions about the nature and duration of mental blanks and their role in conscious experience. [Extracted from the article]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Psychologist is the property of British Psychological Society and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=193505981
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Consciousness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Electroencephalography
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      – SubjectFull: Selectivity (Psychology)
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      – SubjectFull: Reaction time
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      – SubjectFull: Functional connectivity
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            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Text: May2026
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              Y: 2026
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