The neuroscience of acting on autopilot

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Join The Well on your favorite platforms:

[TheHyena-rubz]

This guy is awesome. He has a Stanford University lecture for free on Youtube. Its like taking a class at Stanford for free.

[toughenupfluffy]

Oddly enough, listening to and reading Dr. Sapolsky's work has been the best therapy I've bumped into in a long time. I have cPTSD, Major Depression, and addictions and other ailments.
All of it seems to go away when I realize that the biochemistry of my existence is not my fault. Very liberating.

[JohnSmith-ccud]

I do not regret saying how closely he looks to Zach Galifianakis in this video. I do love his perspective regardless

[michaelallen]

Thank you for your kindness and research.

[lovedrenched]

I am not sure when you first said we have no free will but damn everybody is on you about it. i agree 100%

[luciewhitcomb]

So true, I am one of those people. I’m told I have the best ego possible but I don’t feel fear in such a situation, I just feel protective, I have my entire life.

[uriel]

Yup, most of my team of first responders have ADHD.

Kind regards from Iceland

[Constitutionalist]

Imagine the stress and fatigue if you had to actually think about every single action you were taking or about to take, thankfully we can run on automatic so we can project our thoughts into the future such as planning dinner in our heads while driving home, multitasking is necessary to function but some are way better at it than others obviously.

[billyranger]

What a man. What knowledge. What simple way to communicate it. These are the true heroes, the educators, the saviours of us . Has helped me look at things with amusement rather than anger. We are what we are. Can’t help it. Who u going to hate? I salute you on behalf of all humans specially Indians. They need it as they follow the worst case scenario of the west. 🙏🏾🥂☯️🆒🙏🏾📢📢📢

[sallysorrentino]

My autopilot has more control than i do 🤷

[felixyeld]

Now how do you train the frontal cortex?

[Paragon_Reason]

Wouldn't having a robust frontal cortex make one Less Likely to be the hero, "jump into the river, run into the burning house etc"? This seems backwards from what I hear in his audiobook and his talks. Can someone clarify what I'm missing? Surely I'm missing something or got off the tracks somewhere.
Thanks

[elyaungul]

Which ear? In who's ear does you frontal cortex wisper?

[JuliannFlavin]

Ok so it’s automatic OR because those kinds of people have a better more developed frontal cortex? What’s the actual reason ?

[spoon]

Certainly stands up against my lived experience of recovering from a craniotomy to resect a meningioma that was pushing up against, and stealing a fair bit of the real estate of, my left frontal cortex. All of the grey and white matter that boinged back into place after who knows how long effected a clear and dynamic dysfunction in the responsibilities of this area.

[ZhouJi]

When was this recorded? He looks so young

[johndkastel]

Contradictory overrides within the frontal cortex = Hero
-Whappocosta

[Keaton]

Could you add a link to the full video? 😅

[mazklassa]

If it's not the frontal cortex driving somebody to jump in the river to save a drowning child or rescue them from a burning building, then what part of the brain is in operation?

[vecernicek]

What Sapolsky is articulating here is an extremely important idea, completely ruined by ignorant editing.
There's no way I would get what this is about if I didn't already know what this is about.