"What are you thinking?" is a terrible question
 

Why would you ever ask someone this question? There is no good answer, because the only time anyone ever seems to ask is when my mind is doing background stuff. Most of the time, I literally cannot even remember what I was thinking about because I was just sort of daydreaming or zoning out.

The rest of the time? "I was thinking about how I should respond when you ask me what I'm thinking about since you've done it twice this evening and I still don't have a particularly interesting answer."

God this question is annoying.

Always seems to be asked that question when I do something stupid.

I agree with you, there is no right answer to that question other then silence.

And no, you can't trust Pete Rose.
 

Questions about pondering might be worse to think up.

"What are you thinking", I've not seen that asked before. "What WERE you thinking" after someone's just done something incredibly stupid, on the other hand...

Lizzy has found her first annoying couple thing.

D'awwwwwwwwwww

I can't remember the last time anyone asked me this. Or at least not the last time it was an issue.

Like if my wife asks me this I'm pretty much clear to go full stream of consciousness, even if it's just 'background stuff', but with anyone else I guess it would have to get past however many layers of mental filters I have in place to determine if it was a) actually something worth mentioning and b) appropriate at all.

I guess in a pinch I would just go with something you have recently thought about and want to have a conversation about even if that isn't what you were thinking about at that very moment.

The best response is to look directly into their eyes and say something cheesy.

"I was just thinking...:"

Choose one of the following:

A) How lucky I am to be with you.

B) How beautiful you are.

C) That we are wearing entirely too much clothing. Add wink.

or something horrible.

"I was just thinking... that you need better deodorant."

if its someone I am dating, normally the answer is something very inappropriate for polite conversation.