system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do we zone out?
gpt
Our brain activates a particular set of brain regions when we are paying attention to something, or doing a complex task that uses our attention and memory stores. It activates a totally different set of brain regions (the “default mode network”) when we let our mind wander or zone out. Some researchers think this is because it gives our brain time to process things we’ve learned, store memories, think about ourselves and our emotions, and so on. The same thing is thought with dreaming, that it gives our brain time to process and store memories.