What is the word for doing something absentmindedly?

Question

Suppose a person throws his pen up and catches it by his one hand when he is deep in thought to solve a math problem. They don't know why they do it, but they just do and they do it unintentionally and inattentively. This behavior is generally not easy for a person to give up, but if one lessens his absentmindedness, he can stop this habit. What is the word for this behavior?

Answer 1

I believe Instinctively or Instinctive is the word you are looking for.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/instinctively

http://thesaurus.com/browse/instinctive

Of, relating to, or prompted by instinct.

Arising from impulse; spontaneous and unthinking: an instinctive mistrust of bureaucrats.

Answer 2

I would say it's just a reflex.

an action that is performed without conscious thought as a response to a stimulus.

Or one could think of it as a subconscious impulse that forces you to act even before you realize it. That really looks like one did it unconsciously, but I feel in reality it's a subconscious act.

Answer 3

I would call that behavior:

• an unconscious habit

• a mindless reflex

• a bad habit

• a compulsion

• a compulsive habit

Answer 4

I think the word you want is simply the word habit, which you mention. Habit is defined as:

an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary: the habit of looking both ways before crossing the street. (bold mine)

Or as:

psychol a learned behavioural response that has become associated with a particular situation, esp one frequently repeated

The thing you describe is not necessarily bad or detrimental, but it has become almost involuntary in a certain situation because of repetition. However, the person could stop doing it if someone pointed it out to him.

Answer 5

The word quirk (“an idiosyncrasy; a slight glitch, mannerism; something unusual about the manner or style of something or someone”) often is used of such mannerisms. Terms oddity and tic may sometimes apply.

Answer 6

If it is particularly well developed and occurs enough, one could say that it is a tic; which can be defined as being

a frequent usually unconscious quirk of behavior or speech

For example, a person who, like, frequently inserted like in the middle of, like, all sorts of, like, sentences, might be described as having a verbal tic, you know.