Researchers have explained the brain's ability to invent reality

The human brain draws its conclusions and perceives the world around it not only on the basis of the data it receives, but also taking into account existing knowledge. This makes perception flexible, but sometimes it is also erroneous. This became known on January 20.

In his book "A Second before: how the brain constructs a Future that becomes the Present," which was studied by N+1 magazine, neuroscientist Daniel Jon explains how the brain interprets data based on hypotheses, and why we see what we expect to see, and not reality.

Modern research shows that our brain works according to the principles of Bayesian probability theory, which states that we do not just analyze data, but compare it with existing knowledge. An example of this is the perception of a nocturnal object that can be perceived as alien, even though it is just a satellite or quadcopter.

According to the publication, the brain actively projects its hypotheses on the perception of the world around it, especially when faced with ambiguous or incomplete information. When perceiving illusions, such as the Kanizh triangle, the brain interprets empty spaces as the sides of the shape it "expects" to see.

These "top-down projections" are said to work all the time and demonstrate how perception is always based on expectations rather than pure data. This discovery is confirmed by studies where changes in perception occur even without objective stimulation, based only on the hypotheses of the brain about what should be in this space.

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On January 21, Medical Xpress magazine reported on the connection between motivation and memory. According to the publication, different motivational settings trigger different neural contexts that determine what and how the brain processes.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.