Varies by person and by gender according to many studies. Women tend to not be able to shut it down while a guy can often sit in front of a tv and go blank. Might be why men suffer from ALZ more than women?
i am one that can't turn it off. I started out as touring comic back in the late '80's and my act was 100% impromptu so I had to think fast. For me, the more uncomfortable i am, the more my mind races and puts images and ideas together, so standing in front of crowd under spotlight was enough to transform me into the comdic version of the Hulk. There were times when I walked off the stage and had no memory of what I even said the whold set, but collected my money and was told that I killed it.
I just grew tired of throwing up an hour prior to the show and being fully drained afterwards to keep it as a career. Still, my mind races all day and often keeps me up at night. Just the way I am wired I guess.
