Your brain doesn’t detect reality. It creates it. | Lisa Feldman Barrett

This interview is an episode from @The-Well , our publication about ideas that inspire a life well-lived, created with the @JohnTempletonFoundation.

Our perception of reality is not an exact representation of the objective truth but rather a combination of sensory inputs and the brain’s interpretation of these signals. This interpretation is influenced by past experiences and is often predictive, with the brain creating categories of similar instances to anticipate future events.

The brain’s categorization process extends beyond physical characteristics to include abstract, functional features. This ability allows humans to create “social reality,” where we collectively assign functions or meanings to objects or concepts that don’t inherently possess them, such as the value of money or the concept of borders and citizenship.

The brain’s capacity for imagination, drawing from past experiences to create something entirely new, is a double-edged sword. While it allows for creativity and innovation, it can also lead to difficulties in staying present.

0:00 The debate over reality
0:57 Objective reality
3:54 Social reality

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About Lisa Feldman Barrett:
Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett is among the top 1% most-cited scientists in the world, having published over 250 peer-reviewed scientific papers. Dr. Barrett is a University Distinguished Professor of psychology at Northeastern University with appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, where she is Chief Science Officer for the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior. She is the recipient of a NIH Director’s Pioneer Award for transformative research, a Guggenheim Fellowship in neuroscience, the Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Association for Psychological Science (APS) and from the Society for Affect Science (SAS), and the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the American Psychological Association (APA). She is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of Canada, and a number of other honorific societies. She is the author of How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain, and more recently, Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain.

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Read more from The Well:
AI must be emotionally intelligent before it is super-intelligent
The hero of the Anthropocene has 8 billion faces — one of them is yours
Theology professor: “Ancient Aliens” is fantasy fiction for atheists

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About The Well
Do we inhabit a multiverse? Do we have free will? What is love? Is evolution directional? There are no simple answers to life’s biggest questions, and that’s why they’re the questions occupying the world’s brightest minds.

Together, let's learn from them.

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[nikhilpatki]

We don’t perceive reality the way it is, we perceive reality the way we are….

[militantpacifist]

“One person’s craziness is another person’s reality”- Tim Burton

[PositiveEnergy]

Hello! yes you reading this. I've been waiting for you. I am happy you are here now. You are on the right path. What you seek will come to you.

[auzziebridger]

Stoners been having these thoughts for decades

[avidodd]

"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away" -Philip K. Dick

[chej]

I've always seen a difference between existance and reality, as in we all share the same existance but we live in different realities. This was especially clear to me because im colourblind, so it always struck me that the same eyes exist, same receptors exist, same photons exist, same object where the light bounces off exist, and still the colour i see isn't the real colour.

[DrewJmsn]

Imagine how different the world would be if everyone had this understanding and lived by it.

[CoorgVibesKA]

It really did hit very hard when she said at 06:07, "Sometimes we have a lot of trouble staying in the present "

[asteria_create]

The most interesting & scary thing is our brains are actually watching this, and thinking: wow this is how I work...Amazing!😆

[edwardskerl]

If I can control how and what I perceive, then I am the god of my own world.

[forthehomies]

One of my favorite examples for thinking about the way we view reality is color. Outside of our brain and eyes, color doesn't actually exist. It's only through our eyes and brain that we understand and perceive color. Color only exists when there is a being that has a way to perceive the interaction between photons and the molecular structure of objects -- which is what we see as color; over time life evolved to have eyes and they are an incredible tool (or were created by a creator).

[lolhcd]

languages are also one of many tools we use to "map out" reality in our brains. Time for example is so abstract and some languages construct them into a linear, horizontal and usually from left-to-right phenomenon. Some languages, like Chinese, even have an additional "perception" or description of time, describing it on a linear, VERTICAL and top-to-bottom phenomenon.

"before" and "after" are spatio-temporal words we use in English (and other languages like German) to describe time on a more or less horizontal line. Chinese does this too but also says "Monday is above Tuesday", connotating it as being "earlier".

That doesn't mean that some languages set your way of thinking in stone, you can always learn another language and adapt to different ways of perceiving the world. After all, we all have brains that are equally capable.

[shaunhayward]

This is so interesting. I've wondered about these kinds of things but in 6 minutes you managed to spell it out so clearly. Thank you!

[prema_ranga]

Absolutely fascinating! Lisa Feldman Barrett's explanation of how our brains construct reality is both enlightening and thought-provoking. The idea that our perception of reality is not an exact representation of the objective truth, but rather a combination of sensory inputs and the brain's interpretation of these signals, is a profound insight. It's intriguing to think about how our past experiences and the brain's predictive capabilities influence our perception. Also, the concept of 'social reality' where we collectively assign functions or meanings to objects or concepts that don’t inherently possess them, such as the value of money or the concept of borders and citizenship, is a powerful reminder of the role our collective consciousness plays in shaping our world. This video has definitely given me a lot to ponder on. Looking forward to more content like this!

[girlwithlion]

her examples being “because we all agree” was the most powerful part of this video for me. “because we all agree…” if only we could carry that into every aspect of being alive together…

[adamwoodhall]

Brilliant video! Thanks to all who contributed to creating it!!

[trukoppa]

In our pursuit of understanding reality, it is imperative that we do not overlook the subjective element inherent within each individual. We should not solely rely on external perspectives or objective measurements to define reality. Instead, we must explore the inner landscape of the psyche, both on an individual and collective level.
We should look into these intricate realms of consciousness. These uncharted expanses offer a treasure trove of insights and experiences, transcending the limitations of our everyday reality.

[nodozhit]

Well said. I would like to expound upon the talking points by mentioning the consensus of our collective consciousness and how we decide to classify and chronicle the objective things that we have become aware of. Having an agreed upon consensus, which identifies objects, enables us to name objects and make things real both inside our minds and within our observable surroundings.

[flyinghead]

In Hinduism this is called 'Maya'.

[ericthorpe]

This was really great! She was fascinating to listen to, and she broke things down really well.