The possibilities are enormous brain, but most of them remains a mystery for us. Our consciousness is like the tip of the iceberg, and the rest, the subconscious part is hidden under the water. And to get there is extremely difficult, if not impossible. David Iglmen in his book "Incognito. Secret Life of the Mind "called a few reasons why we should not trust your brain.
1. Most of our actions, thoughts and feelings are not under our conscious control
the human brain - a very sophisticated device. Huge weave neurons - a real jungle - operate in accordance with their programs. We know that in the morning have to wake up early to have time to work. To wash, eat breakfast, get dressed, and set aside time on the road.
But this conscious activity - only a tiny portion of what actually is in our brain. He is considered by Iglmena, lives by its own laws, and we are in a fair degree dependent on him, but we command them. Not every decision or idea that comes to us in the head, appear there on our own.
In a recent experiment, men were asked to rate the attractiveness of female faces in different photographs. The pictures were the same size and the person portrayed en face or three-quarters. Men do not know what half the photos of the women's eyes were wider and more open to look. And all study participants unanimously recognized eyed women more attractive. Explain their preferences, they could not, as well as failed to notice especially the eyes.
So who did the same for them this choice? Somewhere in the depths of the information is stored male brain that wide-eyed women talk about sex excitation.
Those who participated in the study, did not know about it. They did not know, and that their ideas of beauty and attractiveness of the deeply and firmly associated with natural selection programs formed our brains over millions of years. When subjects chose the most attractive women did not know that the choice they did not, and the neurons of the brain, keeping the experience of hundreds of thousands of generations.
2. The brain is responsible for collecting information and assumes the steering against our will
Most of our life is not involved in consciousness decisionsAs we might wish to believe it. Rather, the extent of its involvement is very small, said Iglmen. Our brain works mostly on autopilot. And the conscious mind has almost no access to the subconscious - a powerful and mysterious structure, the possibility of which so little studied until now.
This is especially evident during the road when we have time to brake in time or sharply wag to one side to avoid a collision with another car: our consciousness is simply not enough time to analyze situation.
Similarly, you find someone attractive, however, can not explain to myself what he or she is so good. And despite this, you make a choice, which lies outside the logic. This does not mean that he is bad. It just means that you do not make a decision.
Each country has its own factories, communication lines, large-scale enterprises. Constantly shipped products, electricity works, plumbing, functioning courts, and deals are made. Everyone is busy in its work: teachers teach, athletes compete, the drivers carry their passengers.
Maybe someone wants to know what is happening in the country at a particular moment, but people are not able to take all information immediately. We need a brief summary: no details, but the gist. To do this we buy a newspaper or surf the news summary on the internet.
Our consciousness - this newspaper. brain neurons operate continuously, decisions are made every second, and with many of them and we have no idea.
By that time, both in our mind flashed a thought, all important steps in the brain has already occurred.
Consciousness sees the scene, but has no idea what is going on behind the scenes, some rough work in full swing there day and night. Sometimes it seems that we suddenly had an idea. In fact, nothing unexpected in this: the neurons of our brain has long treated her for several days, months or even years before you to give you an idea in easy to read format. This guess many geniuses.
3. In a sense, all that we see - an illusion
visual illusion It serves as a window to the brain. The word "illusion", says Iglmen has a fairly broad meaning, because everything that we see in some measure illusory as the form through the frosted glass shower door. Our central vision is directed to what is in focus.
Iglmen invites the reader to carry out an experiment: take in hand some colored pens or pencils, look at them, and then transfer the look at the tip of your nose and try to name objects in order hand.
Even if you can identify yourself peripheral vision color will not be able to accurately determine their order. Our peripheral vision is very weak, because the brain uses eye muscles to direct central vision high definition directly to the fact that we are interested in a particular moment.
Central vision gives us the illusion that the entire visual world is in focus, but actually it is not so. We are not aware of the limits of our field of vision.
On this particular well-known not just neurologists, but many jugglers, magicians and illusionists. Directing our attention in the right direction, they can be cleverly manipulated. They know that our brain processes only small pieces of the visual scene, and not everything that comes into view.
This explains the huge number of accidents in which drivers knocked pedestrians directly in front of his nose, collide with other cars and even trains are literally out of the blue. Their eyes are looking in the right direction, but the brain does not see the necessary details. Vision - is more than just a glance.
4. The brain does not need a complete model of the world, it just has to figure out on the fly, where to look and when
If you're in a cafe, then your brain, according to Iglmena should not encode all the details of the situation in great detail. He only knows how and where to find what you need at the moment. Our internal model has an idea of who is to the right and to the left, where the wall and that is on the table.
If there stands a sugar bowl and you will be asked how many pieces of sugar in her left, your visual system will examine the details and add new data to the internal model. Despite the fact that the sugar bowl was all the time in the field of view, the brain does not notice any details until more work, adding to the overall picture of a few points.
In fact, we almost did not realize until I ask myself about it.
Is it convenient to feel the left leg in a new shoe? if the air conditioner hums in the background?
We are unaware of the details, as long as they do not attract our attention. Our perception World inaccurate: we think, if we see the full picture, but in fact the only catch is that we need to know, and no more.
5. Visual system form different modules brain, independent from each other
Part of the brain called the visual cortex, the system forms a complex of cells and neural circuits. Some of them specialize in color, others - on motion detection and a variety of different tasks. These chains are closely interlinked. They send us to the impulses - something like newspaper headlines - said Iglmen. Title reported that there is a bus or that someone is trying to get our attention by flirting with us.
Vision may be split into separate parts. If a few minutes to look at the waterfall, and then translate the look on stationary objects, such as rocks, we can see if they are going up. While we understand that they can not move.
Normally, neurons with overdrive signaling balanced due to the neurons with lowering alarm. This imbalance motion detector allows you to see the impossible: a movement without changing position.
The study involved the illusion of a waterfall still Aristotle. This example proves that vision - a product different modules: some part of the visual system insist (incorrectly) for that move rocks, others - to the fact that they are fixed.
6. In the brain vying emotional and rational system
Rational system is responsible for the analysis of external events, emotional - of the internal state. there is a continuous struggle between them.
This is well illustrated by the philosophical problem of the trolley, the reduced Iglmenom. On ways rushes nobody controlled trolley. That's it, she crashes into repairmen group. But nearby there is a switch that will send the trolley along a different path. The trouble is that there is also a work, but only one. What to choose? Kill five people or one? Most people are willing to use the switch, because the death of one is still better than the death of five?
And if you do not have to click switch, and the push sobstvennoruchno a fat man the bridge to stop the trolley or to knock it out of the way? In this case, the majority refused to dump a man from the bridge. But quantitatively, nothing has changed: the same one, sacrificed for the sake of five. However, there is a difference.
In the first case, a switch is a very bad situation is reduced to less bad. In the case of the man it is used on the bridge as a means of achieve the goalAnd this causes resentment. There is another interpretation: if the switch is not a direct impact on human contact with him. Touching activates emotional system converts the abstract problem in the private emotional decision.
Emotional and rational system should be balanced, none of them should not prevail over the other.
The ancient Greeks had an analogy for the way of life: you - the charioteer driving a chariot with two horses: a white horse and a black horse wisdom passion. Horses pulling each in his own direction, and the task of the charioteer - keep them under control so as not to lose control and move on.
7. Emotional and rational system vying for our long-term and short-term desires
We all go through some kind of temptation, momentary pleasure, which can result in unpredictable consequences. Emotional system advises tempted, trying to keep rational. The virtuous man - this is not one who does not give in to temptation, and the one who can stand up to him. Such people are few, because it is easy to obey the impulses and it is very difficult to ignore them.
Still Freud He noted that the logical arguments are powerless over human passions and desires. Part of this is able to handle the religion, when struggling with emotional outbursts, appealing to the senses rather than to logic. But not all people are religious, and even believers are not always able to resist temptation.
Our behavior - this is the end result of the battle between the two systems.
But this is not a battle to the death between two enemies, but rather an eternal debate in which they are able to negotiate with each other. This advance directive made by the person in the same state, providing that it may be in another.
So, to overcome alcohol addiction person trying to quit drinking, in advance makes sure that the house was not a drop of alcohol. Otherwise, the temptation would be too great. Thus his rational system makes a deal with the emotional.
Book Review David Iglmena "Incognito. Secret Life of the Mind, "prepared by a team of service of the key ideas of the literature on business and self-development MakeRight.ru. More than 330 materials in the library, 140 audio versions, the key ideas of bestsellers that have not yet been published in Russian.
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