Penumbral thoughts: Contents of consciousness upon waking
PLoS One December 14, 2023 Virginia Fedrigo, Matteo M. Galizzi, Rob Jenkins et al.
Upon waking, people's first thoughts—termed penumbral thoughts—tend to focus on their own physical or mental state, the current time and the day ahead, and immediate waking actions. Across seven samples totaling 829 participants who recalled and reflected on these thoughts the same day, a consistent pattern emerged: temporal and spatial orientation centers on the present moment and the upcoming day rather than the past or other future timescales. These findings suggest that establishing one's temporal position is a key part of the daily process of rebooting conscious awareness.