Is our “conscious mind” really responsible for our choices? In reality, all our decisions and actions are taken unconsciously by our brain.
- The cerebral cortex is the part of the brain that makes consciousness possible and each of these regions contributes to the conscious memory system.
- Conscious processes are too slow to be actively involved in music, sports, and other activities requiring split-second reflexes.
Consciousness is defined as the perception or intuitive knowledge that everyone has of their existence and that of the outside world. In a recent study, scientists from Boston University (USA) put forward a new theory, explaining why it developed, what it is used for, what disorders affect it and why it is so difficult , for example, to follow a diet and resist temptations.
“We do not make decisions or take actions directly”
“According to our theory, consciousness developed as the memory system used by our unconscious brain to help us flexibly and creatively imagine the future and plan it accordingly. What is completely new in this theory , is that it suggests that we don’t perceive the world, make decisions and perform actions directly, instead we do all these things unconsciously and then, about half a second later we consciously remember having made them”, explained Andrew Budson, author of the work published in the journal Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology.
Brain: what are the “disorders of consciousness”?
According to researchers, all of our decisions and actions are actually made unconsciously. “So we can tell ourselves that we’re just going to take a little scoop of ice cream and the next moment the container is empty because our conscious mind doesn’t control our actions,” they said in a statement. The team considered a number of neurological, psychiatric and developmental disorders to be “disorders of consciousness”. This is particularly the case with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, namely, schizophrenia, migraine, dissociative identity disorder or certain types of autism.
Shaping the Conscious Mind to “Improve Problem Behaviors”
In their conclusions, the authors pointed out that it is possible to acquire knowledge, using clinical and educational methods that can be effective in shaping both the conscious mind and the unconscious brain. “Digging deeper, this research could enable patients to improve problematic behaviors, such as overeating, and help us understand how brain structures support memory,” they added.