Does Consciousness Influence Quantum Mechanics?

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It’s not surprising that the profound weirdness of the quantum world has inspired some outlandish explanations - nor that these have strayed into the realm of what we might call mysticism. One particularly pervasive notion is the idea that consciousness can directly influence quantum systems - and so influence reality. Today we’re going to see where this idea comes from, and whether quantum theory really supports it.

Hosted by Matt O'Dowd
Written by Matt O'Dowd
Graphics by Leonardo Scholzer & Adriano Leal
Post Production: Yago Ballarini, Max Willians, Pedro Osinski
Directed by: Eric Brown and Andrew Kornhaber
Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber

The behavior of the quantum world is beyond weird. Objects being in multiple places at once, communicating faster than light, or simultaneously experiencing multiple entire timelines ... that then talk to each other. The rules governing the tiny quantum world of atoms and photons seem alien. And yet we have a set of rules that give us incredible power in predicting the behavior of quantum system - rules encapsulated in the mathematics of quantum mechanics. Despite its stunning success, we’re now nearly a century past the foundation of quantum mechanics and physicists are still debating how to interpret its equations and the weirdness they represent.

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[AaronWhiffin]

I'm often both simultaneously in the pub, and in the taxi home until my wife collapses my wave function. She's the only observer that can do this

[unpossibly]

I didn't come to PBS Space Time to have my fears of Eyebal-Brain Macintosh guy manifested onscreen.

[SirMinelli]

This is the only youtube channel where I get to see the entire video, feel smart while doing so, and by the end of it realizing that I need to have a masters degree on physics to even be able to understand a single word of it. At least I like the backgrounds with them shiny stars.

[mosemusica]

I think a more precise question would be: "Are consciousness and quantum mechanics interconnected?" - we get hung up on this cause and effect conversation when really the more fundamental question is to ask how are these two aspects of our reality connected to each other. What I see here in this video is a beautiful presentation of one of the mysteries we are confronted with as we dive deeper into the properties of our universe. However, the second half of the video is the same old scientific positivist dogma of trying to reason your way out of consciousness being involved. If we are going to land the next big jump in science, I feel we need more imagination than this.

[pranavmando]

Conjuring 4: The wave function made me do it

[TheNuncFluens]

Maybe wave function is just the universe way of saving RAM.

[martiddy]

0:08 It would have been hilarious if he put the outro after that 😄

[enriquegarciacota]

But my consciousness *can* manifest physical changes in the real world. I can move a pencil with my mind. The way I do this is: my brain sends a bunch of complex signals though my spine, the muscles of my arm and hand move, and they pick and move the pencil.

[ScienceAsylum]

Something I say a lot in my quantum videos: "Quantum mechanics is _not_ magic!" Thanks for making this video.

[davidsensei]

"If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don't understand quantum mechanics." Oddly enough a very Taoist point of view

[himerosTheGod]

“Magic is simply a science not understood yet”.

[claroruntal]

I like how Quantum Mechanics boils down to "If a tree falls in the woods..." cause life is funny that way, lol.

[DeadChannel]

"... Are you inventing your friend?"
I take that personally.

[dreimar]

i'm invisible! But only when no one, or anything, watch me.

[Hurricayne]

“Those that don’t understand quantum theory seem to be the most sure of it”
I mean you just described the Dunning-Kruger effect.

[mikemazzola]

Every time I watch this channel I come away with a head swim. I took a graduate course or two in quantum physics and electronics three decades ago. After watching a few of these videos, I, for the first time, can reflect positively on the teaching pedagogy that made everything mathematical. Basically, the message from instructor to student was "An electron/photon/[fill in the blank] does this or that. Let's derive an equation and work pages of math to establish what that means."

At the time of taking the classes, I felt absolutely comfortable with saying the wavefunction is just a mathematical expression of the probability of outcomes that cannot possibly be known until observed. To me, the particle subject to quantum mechanics was not simultaneously in two (or more) states, but that its actual state just hadn't been observed yet. That meant to me that the superposition of states was just an accounting of the probabilities of what the actual state was. The actual state singularly existed but wasn't known to the observer YET.

Crikey! Matt O'Dowd has made a complete hash of my confidence in the above interpretation of the math, obviously confirming his quote from Feynman that those that think they know how quantum mechanics works, don't!

The silver lining I see in all my confusion is that the idea of "entanglement" is finally starting to bring wavefunctions into focus as much more than uncertainty expressed in abstract math. Instead, wavefunctions appear to be some kind of metaphysical complexity that explodes the mind and hides something truly amazing about the universe.

Matt, keep up the good work while I try to keep up the comprehension as fast as the dialog flies by...

[ohsteeev]

"Does quantum mechanics influence consciousness" is a more interesting question.

[nealwright]

Gives a new meaning to the term “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.

[adnaanu]

PBS Space time: does consciousness influence quantum mechanics?

Warhammer 40K: Consciousness does influence the Warp

[tjentalman]

How could two consciousnesses observe exactly simultaneously? One always would collapse the wave function first, even by a small fraction of time, and the second observer would see the result of that collapse.