“Perfectly Overstimulated” at Concerts

[Nervous Rex]

This happened to me twice and I’m trying to make sense of it. The title of this post is my best attempt at a description.

My wife likes concerts and in the past year I’ve gone to two concerts with her. I wouldn’t choose to go to a concert on my own - a late night with lots of crowds and noise is not my idea of fun.

But I went and each time there was at least one point where the music and lights/video were so much, so intense, so overwhelming, that I felt like my brain had to run in overdrive to process it. Everything else was tuned out and I didn’t think, feel, or experience anything but the concert. And it was so…peaceful!

I didn’t have any need to do the mental busywork I normally am always doing - counting things, solving math problems, doing anagrams in my head, or working out contingencies and backup plans for upcoming events. It was almost as if my consciousness didn’t exist - I literally had not one single thought in my head.

My wife was dancing and singing her heart out and I was just sitting there motionless, staring straight ahead in perfect peace.

So the only thing I can think to call it is “perfectly overstimulated”. But maybe it’s a form of hyperfocusing. Or maybe it’s like a hypnotic state of sorts. Maybe me being tired because it was so late contributed. I really don’t know.

I’m kind of wondering if I could replicate it at home, but I’m not sure how. Or if I should. I’m still trying to get my head around it and I don’t even know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

Have you experienced anything like this? What do you call it? How do you explain it? Do you like it?

 

[Hazel_1914]

If I recall correctly, this is technically known as eustress and is the counterpart to distress.

Eustress can be pleasant in some doses but like any other stressor it's a bit of a beast to deal with long-term. You are not the first to experience this potent flow state but you are excellent in how you describe it. It's pretty cool.

Eustress - Wikipedia

 

[Captain Caveman]

I had that when watching a certain music video that hits my senses so full on that I repeated it again and again and again. The music alone is good but the video with it is amazing.

 

[Rocco]

I stopped going to concerts in 1999, after seeing my favorite band at the time. It was too loud, too many people, too overwhelming.

 

[Judge]

An interesting subject to me. The psychology behind highly orchestrated presentations intended to achieve similar effects on their audience.

Not always for financial gain through exorbitant ticket prices, but to indoctrinate the masses. All ready and eager to hypnotically absorb and obey anything and everything they were told in real time.

Very effective when it comes to selling a product or an idea with the right entertainment or indoctrination value, through a presentation or oratory. Translating into the possibility of either a very good- or very bad thing depending on where such stimulation may ultimately steer you.

Reminds me of a very old film of a woman in a crowd with a remarkable look on her face, mesmerized and overstimulated by someone's presence and speech. With everyone around her shouting a slogan in unison.

Manipulation

noun

1. The act or practice of manipulating.
2. The state of being manipulated.
3. Shrewd or devious management, especially for one's own advantage.