Questions are sentences that we either ask or write to gather additional information from the person or individuals who react to them. However, it is not as simple as that; the questions impact your cognitive abilities. When asked questions, our unconscious mind takes over and starts working. Before we know it, someone's inquiry has sparked a flurry of fresh thoughts and ideas in our heads. We might conceptualize something linked to the query itself, or we might conceptualize potential answers to the problem.

Our brain has approximately 70,000 thoughts going through it during the day throughout the act of thinking. In order to make sense of what we observe or think about, our inquisitive brains have developed the cognitive capacity of reasoning. As a result, to discover a cause for something, our brain asks many questions. It allows us to understand better the subjects that surround us.

There are instances when we do not get the answer to every question. It's not like that someone is not answering our questions on purpose, but there is literally no answer to every question that comes into our minds. The human mind functions in a way that it will question everything it sees, hear, or sense, and sometimes it asks some confusing questions that no one can answer. These unanswered questions affect our brains and may lead to stress and anxiety.

How do questions affect the brain?

When we are asked a question, our entire brain is activated, resulting in the release of serotonin. This secretion of serotonin encourages the brain to relax, which allows it to be more creative and productive in its search for answers and developing solutions.

As soon as the conditions are in place for the mind to react to the inquiry, a surge of dopamine is released. It can have two diametrically opposed impacts. On the one hand, it may activate our reward mechanism, motivating us to go in quest of the answers. On the other hand, it may not do so. However, we may be concerned about providing the incorrect response, which makes it harder for us to concentrate in a way that will assist us in providing an excellent solution to the question.

Regardless of our 'fight or flight response, the questions will elicit a brain reflex known as instinctual elaboration, which will cause us to elaborate on our answer. When our brain is preoccupied with determining the answers to the questions, it is unable to consider anything else.

Questions have the ability to influence our future behaviour:

When somebody is asked a question, their first thought is to try to answer. Turning into solution mode is a natural response for us. Unconsciously, the brain is prompted to a mental image that contextualizes the inquiry and the possible response. Our brains are practically helpless in their attempts to avoid pondering about a solution until we make a conscious effort to do so.

So, while questions do have the power to dominate our attention the instant they are posted, they also have solid long-term consequences and influence our future behaviours.