reality check

plural reality checks

1. A check or review to make sure something is consistent, reasonable, etc.

   Near-synonyms: sanity check, sanity test; sniff test

   2 more examples

   Be sure to do a reality check on the idea before releasing it.

   what is evidently clear is the nature and quality of rational thought exhibited by both types of minds. It can be stated that Kafka’s autistic mind is not susceptible to delusional concepts which might be presented as religious dogma by society or experienced by the self. For the neurotypical mind these concepts and experiences of existential doubt are harder to shake off since it appears that the neurotypical configuration of the self is an internal cognitive mechanism without an adequate external reality check. In contrast this external reality check appears to be present in the high-functioning autistic mind. It is thought that the autistic mind is more intimately connected with objective reality via its external sensory focus on reality and its superior understanding of physical causality, relative to neurotypical persons (Baron-Cohen et al. 1999; Paganini and Gaido 2013) and is therefore less susceptible to supernatural experiences or explanations.

   2018 November 12, Jerry Stuger, “Autism and Religious Beliefs: Clues from Kafka Research”, in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, volume 49, →DOI, pages 1559–1569

   Synonyms: sanity check, sanity test, sniff test

   1. lucid dreaminga test done to establish if one is dreaming

      I had this dream last night where I was at my grandparents’ house when a large plastic hippo started sliding backwards up the driveway. I did a reality check, as one does in this situation, and it worked. I knew I was streaming.[…]

      2022 November 5, NyFlow_, “Reality checks work during dreams, but it’s like I’m not really lucid and can’t ground myself for some reason. I just go back to normal dreaming. Help?”, in Reddit, archived from the original on 05 Nov 2022

      Synonyms: sanity check, sanity test, sniff test

2. idiomaticA wake-up call; a reminder.

   United's renaissance under manager Erik ten Hag already has the tangible reward of the Carabao Cup but Liverpool unleashed a brutal reality check on their progress with a severe thrashing.

   2023 March 5, Phil McNulty, “Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United”, in BBC Sport

   1 more example

   Over the last six years, I've been doing a tremendous amount of public speaking and I hope that my coming out about being HIV positive is a reality check for other young people, that hearing a peer speak from personal experience has an impact on them.

   1999, Katherine Martin, Women of Courage, Inspiring Stories from the Women Who Lived Them, page 24