Spirit of Bonhomie - Day Nineteen
What are you missing?
Today I want to talk about neuroscience and attention. We sleepwalk through life and miss things that could be really important for us. We need to understand how we pay attention or not to improve our ability to!
Predictive Processing:
Neuroscientist Anil Seth explains this phenomenon in his book “Being You: A New Science of Consciousness.” It draws from the theory of predictive processing (also known as predictive coding).
Our brains construct predictive models based on previous experiences. These models help us interpret sensory signals.
Imagine our brains as detectives trying to solve an inverse inference problem. We don’t directly access the causes of sensory signals; we only perceive their effects.
Our brains fill in gaps by creating models that predict the causes behind these signals.
In essence, our perceptions are top-down phenomena—our brain’s “best guess” of what’s happening around us.
Selective Attention Filters:
Our brains don’t process all sensory data equally. Instead, they use filters to focus on what’s relevant.
Think of attention as a spotlight that illuminates specific information while dimming the rest.
Neurons play a crucial role. When we pay attention:
Neurons send messages more intensely (like speaking louder).
They also increase the fidelity of their message (akin to speaking more clearly)
This filtering mechanism helps us prioritize essential information while ignoring distractions.
The Invisible Gorilla Experiment:
Psychologist Daniel Simons conducted an eye-opening experiment. In a video, viewers were asked to count passes between basketball players.
Amidst this task, a person in a gorilla suit strolled through the scene.
Astonishingly, most viewers missed the gorilla entirely because their attention was hyper-focused on counting passes.
This highlights how our brains can overlook glaringly obvious stimuli when we’re engrossed in a task.
Neurotransmitters and Attention:
The nucleus basalis, deep within the brain, floods it with a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine when we pay close attention.
Acetylcholine targets astrocytes in the visual cortex, enhancing our ability to focus.
Today I would like you to pay attention to the big picture and in particular to how much good cheer and human connection is all around you.
When we focus on what is important then all that is not gets filtered out.
So that is today’s task, focus on bonhomie. what do you see?
Our brains are both remarkable and quirky. They predict, filter, and sometimes miss the gorilla right in front of us. So next time you’re paying attention, keep an eye out for unexpected surprises! 🧠🔍🦍
When you pay attention, you prop the door of your soul ajar to welcome the unexpected and the uncontrolled... . You can't access your interior landscape by banging down a closed door; you can pencil it in as an appointment on your calendar. Paying attention is a habit forming mind-set that comes with repetition and with intention. You give yourself permissiong to "do nothing." You create quiet spaces. You open a door.
