Spiritual Forum

by Stephen Guise: http://deepexistence.com/5-fascinating-ways-your-brain-bends-reality/

Caution: This illusion might make observers feel sick. The bicycle wheels appear to rotate counterclockwise, but this is a still image! Your brain doesn’t know any better. Sigh. Image credit: Akiyoshi Kitaoka

We think we see reality as it is, but science has revealed multiple ways that the human brain bends reality (as it relates to our personal experiences).

Most of these reality-bending brain happenings involve the way we process information. Like the image above shows us, our perception of how things are is not always accurate, but this isn’t always a problem—you’ll see it can be a benefit too.

1. When you’re fatigued, you might not be.

“The fatigue is a lie, runner #956! Keep going!” (Image by Lau Casabo)

The reality: You're running, and you have more energy left.
How your brain bends reality: Your brain tells you that you have no energy left, and suddenly, you make the face of runner #956, who is having problems.
Energy is a finite resource in the body. Your brain knows that, and being the overlord of operations, it will indeed ration energy like an old, bitter sea dog rations rum to the crew. Jerk.
Scientists have found that the feeling of fatigue is fabricated by the brain to signal us to slow down or stop. This isn't direct muscle fatigue, which is caused by insufficient energy supply; they call it "central fatigue," a full-body feeling of fatigue. I notice it as an overwhelming desire to stop exercising. They believe central fatigue caused by serotonin, which is released during exercise and actually helps you to perform; it's when serotonin reaches higher levels that a central fatigue response is triggered.
"'We can now see it is actually a surplus of serotonin that triggers a braking mechanism in the brain. In other words, serotonin functions as an accelerator but also as a brake when the strain becomes excessive,' says Associate Professor Jean-François Perrier from the Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, who has spearheaded the new research." (source "Why Your Brain Tires When Exercising." A Science Daily article about the University of Copenhagen research found here. (2013))
This part of your brain doesn't care about your marathon time—its job is to keep you from exhausting your energy supply, and telling you you're out of energy is an effective way to do that.
And there you have it. The brain plays a major role in fatiguing us (again, this is separate from objective energy depletion), and our visual interpretation of what we're doing is a key factor in the process.
I wonder if this is why I naturally tend to close my eyes during the most grueling parts of an exercise bike session (I do the "mountain routine," and the peaks are brutal!). I do it because I feel as if I can't continue my pace if my eyes remain open. It seems when I close my eyes, that I have less of a central fatigue response. It makes sense too. Think about it:
When my eyes are open, I see sweat dripping off of my nose. I see my tensed hands gripping the bars. When I look down, I see my legs pumping to cycle as fast as I can. This is a lot of visual information that repeatedly tells my brain I'm working really hard, but when I close my eyes... darkness; I can just focus on the mechanical action of pedaling, and I do believe this has helped me work harder on the bike. After seeing this research, I plan to experiment with it some more.
What to do about it: Do NOT run on a treadmill with your eyes closed! Do NOT squat 300 lbs. blindfolded! Do NOT bring a mirror box to the gym. Actually, do bring a mirror box to the gym. That would be funny. The other ones are dangerous though.
The next time you're at the gym and you feel like you can't go anymore, you now have the right to doubt that feeling. It will still be difficult to resist it, but knowing this may help. When on the exercise bike, my brain commanded my body to shut down, but I ignored the strong urge to quit, closed my eyes, and was still able to physically pedal! Fascinating.
Do be careful though: you don't want to injure yourself by pushing it too hard. Pain—with the exception of phantom limbs—is not "a trick" your brain is playing on you. The key here is to differentiate between "I really want to stop" and "if I don't stop, I will hurt myself" situations. That may be a fine line, but it can be walked! Personally, I think this is most useful for aerobic exercise, since weight-lifting generally carries a higher risk of injury from overdoing it. Whether you're in a competition or just working out, let your brain know that it can't fool you anymore.
If you are doing something that can be done safely with your eyes closed (exercise bikes are one), try closing them and see what that does to your central fatigue response.

2. If you strike a confident pose for 2 minutes, your brain will make you more confident.

This boy’s stance is a quintessential confidence pose. (Image by Photosightfaces)
The reality: you're extremely nervous.

How your brain bends reality: After you—even nervously—assume a confident pose for a meaningful amount of time (studies tested 2 minutes, which was significant enough as you'll see), your brain will increase your testosterone levels and decrease your cortisol levels. I call this combination the "confidence cocktail," as lower cortisol makes you calmer and higher testosterone increases your aggressiveness and willingness to take risks. This information comes from a very popular TED Talk by Amy Cuddy.

What to do about it: This is one of the most exciting brain-benders there is. It isn't a bending of reality as much as it's your brain changing your reality by altering your hormones!

After standing for two minutes, participants' testosterone increased by 20% and their cortisol decreased by 25%. Fascinating! Those are significant chemical changes for just two minutes of easy "work!" It's hard to think of a situation where this couldn't be used, as confidence is such an integral part of all aspects of life. You can use it for dates, interviews, speeches, and social gatherings.

Given the results of this study, I don't believe it's a crazy idea to suggest confidence pose training for those with low self-esteem. A 2 minute confidence pose mini habit is worth considering, as it's an easy and effective way to temporarily boost confidence. I suggest making it a daily mini habit because the more you train to be confident (and practice acting confident), the more permanently confident you'll become. The most valuable change is lasting change.

It's easy to practice: just show the world your wingspan! Confident poses are marked by taking up more space: a wide stance, open chest, and upright posture. Submissive poses—which were found to have the opposite (and negative) effect of increasing cortisol and lowering testosterone—are marked by making yourself smaller: curling up in a ball, crossing your arms or legs, and slouching.

Walking around in public like you're a bird in flight might not be the answer. Instead, you can do things like holding a confident pose in the bathroom before an interview (Cuddy said they tested this specific example and it worked well).

3. Your brain often treats images as reality.

The reality: You're looking at a picture.
How your brain is bent by reality: When you look at pictures of obviously sick people, your brain will respond by ordering your body to amp up white blood cell production. It's likely the same reason why you can genuinely be scared during a horror movie, even though you're safely cuddled up with that special someone. It's important to remember that not all parts of your brain are conscious. Yes, you know it's just an image, but some part of your brain seems to be hardwired to protect itself upon seeing anything related to illness. It's pretty cool! (Source: University of British Columbia. See this article for more information: The Psychological Immune System)
What to do about it: I'm not going to look at pictures of sick people, even if it increases my white blood cell count. But I will consider looking at kittens. You know why? Images of kittens were shown in a study to increase fine motor skills and non-motor search tasks. Also, a study I personally conducted found that kittens are cute. The takeaway here is broader than sick people or kittens: simply looking at a picture can create a relatively powerful response in your mind and body.
Be aware that images you look at will impact your brain in some way:
• According to Dr. Marc Berman, looking at pictures of nature can boost cognitive performance. (Source: "The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting With Nature." Berman, Jonides, and Caplan. (2008))
• Looking at pornography was found by a very recent study to potentially (not definitely, as there are other possible explanations) cause brain shrinkage and diminish sexual reactivity.(Source: JAMA Psychiatry Online Publication. Kühn and Gallinat. (2014))

4.Your mind can alter what you see and hear in the real world.

This is a FLAT drawing on the sidewalk. (Photo by RedRoseRattus)
The reality: The physical world is objectively present. Sound waves are measurable and precise. Visual objects have an objective shape and mass in each moment in time.

How your brain bends reality: if your brain hears a particular sound, it can alter what you think you see, a study of 96 participants found. Participants looked at two objects passing by each other on the screen. When a collision sound was played at the time the objects passed, they experienced the illusion that the objects collided. It worked vice versa too! When people thought they saw something it altered what they heard (and where they thought they heard it from).

"Specifically, we found that what we imagine hearing can change what we actually see, and what we imagine seeing can change what we actually hear." (Karolinska Institutet. "Imagination can change what we hear and see. via ScienceDaily. (2013))

What to do about it: Nothing, explicitly. Scientists say this research could be useful for understanding schizophrenia because it reveals how the brain does (or doesn't in this case) distinguish between thought and reality. This study and this effect is highly situational, and it's more interesting than practical. Though personally, I think it speaks to the power of the mind, and that imagination can be a powerful agent for personal growth.

If the human brain can create such illusions, then surely it can change how we view ourselves (for the better) if given the right prompts.

5. Your Brain Manipulates and Discounts Your Future

The reality: The future is unpredictable, unwritten, and is best left to "light planning." Today is the day that counts. Always.
How your brain bends reality: It's easy for the brain to see the future as a failsafe.
1. If you don't start your goal today, surely you'll do it tomorrow!
2. If you don't stop your bad habit today (just one more time won't hurt, right?), tomorrow is there to save you!
When there's a tomorrow, today is open for short-term pleasures and mistakes. Your future self is stronger, better, more prepared, and ready to do whatever it takes to reach your goals.

"We put off what we need to do because we are waiting for someone else to show up who will find the change effortless."

We should realize that it's going to be mostly the same version of us in the future, but McGonigal says, "when reflecting on the future self, the brain’s activation is identical to when it is considering the traits of another person." This is saying that you see yourself in 20 years as complete stranger. Naturally, it's hard to value this stranger over yourself.

What to do about it: If we we're correct in our assessment of our future selves, there wouldn't be a problem. The later version of us would always save the day, make the right decisions, and create a wonderful life. But while the future itself is unpredictable, our future selves are predictable. Tomorrow's version of you is going to be very much like today's version of you. Real, lasting change happens slowly. You may act very differently on one day, but unless your actions are consistently different, you'll revert to the same ol' you.

"To get to know their future selves, the students interacted with their age-advanced avatars in an immersive virtual reality setup . The participants sat in front of a mirror, but they saw reflected their future selves. If the participant moved her head, her future self moved her head. If she turned sideways, her future self turned sideways. While participants watched their future selves in the mirror, an experimenter asked each participant questions, such as “What is your name?” “Where are you from?” and “What is your passion in life?” As the participant answered, it appeared as though the future self was speaking.
After spending time with their future selves, participants left the virtual reality lab and began a hypothetical budgeting task. They were given $ 1,000 and asked to divvy it up among present expenses, a fun splurge, a checking account, and a retirement account. Students who had interacted with their future selves put more than twice as much money into their retirement accounts as students who had spent time looking at their young selves in a real mirror. Getting to know their future selves made the students more willing to invest in them— and, by extension, themselves."