by The Kid | Dec 7, 2020 | Can the human mind be trusted?
“My friend often asks me, half sarcastically, ‘Don’t you trust your own mind? The question always receives a few chuckles. ‘Of course I trust my own mind!… Though, to be honest, no, I don’t trust my own mind at all!’ On a simple human level, the vast majority of us are puppets to the inconsistent, random, ungraspable qualities of our minds. We don’t even know what our minds are. We don’t know what our thoughts are or where they come from. For most of us, our minds are like monkeys or wild horses – and ‘we’ as beings, are completely at the whim of our crazy, chaotic minds. Even in our times of relative tranquility, peace, joy, alignment – we are caught grasping at the experience, hoping that it will not flee us. Why don’t we have the reigns of our own internal landscape? Why must we grasp as though we are servants to a greater power?
The reality is, as Ram Dass famously put it, ‘The thinking mind (or rational mind) is an excellent servant, but a terrible master.’ In other words, the ‘mind’ as we think of it, aka the brain, is a tool. Like the stomach, it has a very important function for our well-being. However, should it be the one with the finger on the nuclear bomb? Perhaps not. Perhaps the heart-mind, intuitive mind, or ‘Hsin’ as the Chinese would put it, is more equipped for such a job.
Naturally, our being is not this black and white. However, perhaps we can begin by feeling into the intelligence of our inner being and come to our own conclusions. As our society functions right now, we are a temple to the ‘rational’, ‘thinking’ mind. We idolize it. We do not recognize the magnificent tool that is the heart-mind. We do not see the short-comings of the thinking mind in being the ‘governing agent’ of the self. Naturally, each of us who idolize the ‘thinking mind’, are contributing to a macrocosmic societal model. So it is no wonder that in a society of folks who idolize the thinking mind, our society as a whole takes on that model – and vice versa.
However, in truth, we CAN trust the human mind. Just a different ‘mind’ than what we are used to trusting. We can trust the ‘heart-mind’ as the control center, and the ‘thinking mind’ as the lead general. This is a recipe for a compassionate, wise society.
by Holly G - Kristi H | Dec 7, 2020 | Can the human mind be trusted?
“Do you trust your brain? Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have shown that every adult has unique brain reliability. This and other findings, published in eNeuro, the new flagship, peer-reviewed journal of the International Society of Neuroscience, offer the possibility of better identification and more accurate assessment for neurological and psychiatric disorders, including autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Most people assume that their brain is a stable and reliable tool that works consistently. But amazingly, our brain responses are very different from those of other people. Even when we see the same object over and over again, our brains react differently each time, and the variation is surprising in size (difference is the opposite of reliability). It is even more surprising that each of us has a different level of difference/reliability that characterizes us throughout most of our adult lives.
“Some of us have a brain that works more reliably and consistently than others, and this reliability can be measured when we record adult brain responses in the electro-encephalogram [EEG] imaging method,” explained Prof. Ilan Dinstein, head of the research team and director of the BGU’s Negev Autism Research Center. “The brain is a very stable characteristic of each person regardless of the task he or she performs; that is, whether it performs one task or another – and this characteristic, brain reliability, is very consistent over time – even when they were examined a year apart. All of the findings lead to the conclusion that, for better or worse, each of us has a brain with a certain level of reliability.”
Until recently, most scientists thought that brain reliability depended mainly on how attention was directed to the task being performed. Dinstein and the research team show that attentiveness is negligible compared to the identity of the person, which is the main factor. “The interesting question is whether people with greater brain reliability have different abilities than those with lower brain reliability,” added Dinstein. “For example, in previous research, we showed that people with higher brain reliability have been able to identify visual stimuli more accurately. But other animal studies have shown that too much reliability probably leads to fixation, inability to change, problems in learning new skills and adapting behavior to unfamiliar situations.
We plan to examine this issue in humans in other studies in our lab.”At the same time, the team used EEG records during sleep in young children to test whether low brain reliability is an early marker of autism. “We hope these findings can help in early and accurate diagnosis of the neural problem in at least some cases of autism. Autism is a very heterogeneous syndrome, but we expect that the understanding of brain activity in autism will allow us to develop and test specific treatments within the Autistic Center,” Dinstein said.”
by Julia S | Dec 7, 2020 | Can the human mind be trusted?
“In this edition we tell you about a breakthrough in medical technology. A paralysed Frenchman has been able to walk again, thanks to a team of experts based in Grenoble and their revolutionary brain-controlled “exoskeleton”. Plus, we speak to Moran Cerf, a neuroscientist from Northwestern University on how and why people believe, perceive, experience and decide. But his findings come with a warning: do not trust your own brain! And in Test 24, we tell you about Guerlain’s Mindscent, a new sensory motion-led experience to help you find the perfect perfume.…”
https://www.france24.com/en/20191011-hacking-the-human-brain-can-we-trust-our-own-thoughts-2
by Judy S-I | Dec 7, 2020 | Can the human mind be trusted?
“The human brain is a marvelous tool. However, it was designed for a very different world than we currently live in. As a result, it retains many design flaws that do not serve us well, especially in today’s business world where new ways of thinking and ongoing innovation are essential for success.
Perhaps the most damaging flaw is the brain’s tendency to think it’s right. In fact, it often insists it is right even in the face of contradictory evidence. So the next time you’re absolutely, positively sure you’re right, consider these 10 reasons not to trust your brain:
1. It jumps to conclusions.
The brain loves to solve problems. But as soon as a solution presents itself, the brain wants to accept it as the solution. Case closed – let’s move on to the next problem! No seeking alternative answers; no exploring possibilities. Not a good approach considering most business problems have more than one good solution and the act of exploring multiple right answers often opens doors to all sorts of success.
2. It sees what it wants to see.
The brain acts as a filter, constantly screening in and screening out information. Unfortunately, it tends to screen out information that contradicts our prevailing view of the world and let in that which supports it. Ever been jilted by a romantic partner and wondered why you were the last to know? Ever been sure you had the right data and looked at the information again to find you were way off? The signs were usually there all along. Your brain just didn’t want to see them.
3. It distorts incoming information.
The brain also twists and distorts incoming information so that it aligns with our attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions. If you don’t believe this, try watching Fox News or MSNBC. They make a living out of taking the same information and twisting it to suit their own agendas. Our brains do the same thing; they just don’t get to do it on national TV most days.
4. It ignores the obvious (and then tries to justify it).
We know that drunk driving is dangerous, and texting behind the wheel is even worse. Yet we do them anyway. Why? Because our brain tells us we won’t get caught. Or, it assures us we won’t get in an accident. Or, we really are that important that we have to respond immediately and ignore the safety of ourselves and others. After all, it always happens to someone else, right?
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5. It’s not designed for multitasking.
In today’s time-deprived, hyper-paced world, our brain wants to convince us of the virtues of multitasking. Yet, research shows again and again that multitasking increases stress, inhibits creativity, and makes us less efficient. Pause and think about that the next time you try to do five things at once!
6. It constantly makes stuff up.
In the absence of information, we make stuff up. We do it all the time, and then we believe it to be true! Our brain won’t live with a void so it fills in the blanks. Most of what we make up is negative, and usually worse than the truth. Just listen to your internal dialog the next time the boss calls you into her office and you don’t know what for.
7. It seeks to avoid threats rather than pursue opportunities.
Coming up with new ideas and new ways of doing things requires going out on a limb. However, in most cases the brain will choose avoidance of pain over the pleasure of some future reward. Not a good way to support innovation, which includes a certain amount of pain (failure) in order to succeed.
8. It wants to stick with the known.
When stressed, the brain seeks comfort in what it is familiar with – even when it becomes obvious that the old way is no longer working. That’s why people stay in bad jobs or bad relationships. That’s why leaders hang on to projects that are clearly losing money and sucking up resources that could be better applied elsewhere. Our brains like what is familiar, not necessarily what is the best for us.
9. It thinks everyone else sees the world the same way.
Logically, we know this isn’t true. But when presenting a new idea or a solution to a problem, how often do we unconsciously assume that everyone in the room sees it the same way? Then we wonder why people look at us like we’re from another planet.
10. It has too much confidence in its own abilities.
Research shows that experts are only slightly more accurate than non-experts when making predictions in their fields. Moreover, when confronted with their errors, the experts almost never blamed their thinking or changed their beliefs. Instead, most attributed their mistakes to outside factors beyond their control. The next time your brain insists you’re right because “we’ve always done it that way,” you might want to step back and look at the situation from a different perspective.
Albert Einstein once said, “Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the universe.” I don’t think we’re stupid. But I do believe we get hoodwinked by our own brains because we don’t check in with them to see what’s really going on.
Call to action: Pick one of these brain flaws and start to notice when it occurs. How does it impact your decision-making?”
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