Brain fog, why do we go blank?

Our brain shuts down in environments where we feel we don't have enough authority.

In tribal times, overstepping boundaries would have been fatal. Our brain protects us by preventing us from saying anything that might jeopardize our life.
This ancient protective mechanism explains why we experience a Mental haze in situations where we lack social authority.

Our brain tries to keep us alive using an outdated survival programming. 

In tribal societies challenging authority figures, or boasting a high level of confidence in the wrong context could result in immediate banishment. 

A low-status tribe member who spoke out of turn during important discussions, or acted above their station could have faced serious consequences.

Our nervous system evolved to recognize these dangerous social dynamics and responds by shutting down our cognitive functions, essentially making us quiet and non-threatening. 

This evolutionary trait becomes problematic in modern contexts where a situation is not life-threatening.

Our primitive brain can't distinguish between a job interview and a tribal council meeting. 

When we walk into a boardroom full of executives, or find ourselves in any situation where we perceive ourselves as having lower status, our ancient system activates the same shutdown response our ancestors needed to avoid being chastised for social transgressions. 

This protective mechanism prevents us from taking the social risks necessary for "modern" success, like speaking up in meetings, networking confidently, or advocating for ourselves in professional settings. 

Understanding this helps explains why perfectly capable people can become completely tongue-tied in social situations even if the modern consequences are typically just embarrassment rather than any serious consequence.