system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: During exams, what actually happens in your brain that causes your mind to go blank?
gpt
One possible explanation is the stress of exams makes your body go into fight or flight mode where stress hormones such as cortisol diverts glucose (energy) away from the hippocampus and thus decreasing your ability to recall memories. For our ancestors, this gave them the extra punch needed to survive, as it was more likely for their survival to be hinged upon beating the predator threatening them than beating the test curve. Sadly, this means when you're stressed it'd be harder to recall specific memories.