The thermodynamic Brain and Mental Energy

The connection between the mind and the brain is a fascinating puzzle. Idealism, represented by Kant, Hegel asserts the primacy of consciousness, whereas materialists, such as Dennett, and Churchland considers the mind an illusion produced by brain circuits and mechanisms. Incongruences between the mind and the brain-inspired dualism, a separation of physical and mental states.

The psyche was not subject to a scientific investigation until the focus shifted to the physics of the mind. In emotional animals, the brain produces motivation. Sensory experiences integrate the organism's past, present, and future into an abstract and temporal mental world.

The brain's self-regulation sustains a ground energy state, the so-called resting-state networks (RSNs). Their activity increases in the absence of external stimuli. Information integration formulates a highly abstract representation.

Neuronal activation is built on the resting potential, and the brain’s evoked states are founded on the resting state. The recurring activation cycle in both systems is governed by thermodynamic principles, such as the reversed Carnot or the Carnot cycle, a theoretical ideal thermodynamic cycle. The first process controls the future and enhances intellect and future freedom of action, whereas the second reconstructs the past. Emotional states are related to the brain's energy level.

The resting states maintain the constancy of the self. The sense of effort depends on their constantly shifting energy. Reduction of mental energy might be a diagnostic tool before functional and anatomical changes in Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, psychiatric disorders, and immune problems.

Establishing the energy nature of emotional states can inspire progress in neurology, psychiatry, psychology, and social sciences. Greater understanding of the thermodynamic processes of the brain’s intelligent computational power will allow the development of novel techniques and applications in the rapidly changing fields of AI and robotics.

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The importance of happiness

In hierarchic societies of the past, the economic necessity to use brute force and tedious work made intellect unnecessary and even dangerous. In the past one hundred years, we experienced a breathtaking technological transformation. Hard physical labor was replaced by machines, whereas human intellectual involvement is increasingly important at every level in the corporate world and society.

The recognition that conflicts and problems between employees tax morale, degrade efficiency, and shorten the time spent on work led to increasing awareness and focus on the human side of the work environment. However, changing personal behavior is a generational problem, which originates in the home environment. In their first years, children absorb behavioral, emotional, and intellectual patterns by observing and copying the family environment. This powerful mental legacy hands the cultural fabric of society to the next generation. Unfortunately, parents also project accumulated fears and less than perfect emotional coping mechanisms onto their children. Thus, children grow up with a rigid mindset from the past and carry emotional triggers that predispose them to failure in modern society.

Emotional instability leads to attention problems, which make it impossible to absorb the school material and handicap a person’s ability to achieve his full potential. People are often willing to hold onto a job that they do not like, in the hope to buy happiness. However, satisfaction is not a commodity that can be purchased, but it is the result of an active, optimistic life. In this sense, happiness means doing meaningful work and satisfying the thirst for the betterment of the self. It is a dynamic, challenging state that feeds on accomplishments. It is a feeling of being an organic part of family, community, and society. It is a constant mental growth that leads to confidence and a belief in the future.

The American Constitution names the pursuit of happiness as a human right. I believe, in the not too distant future, well-being itself is going to be a human right.

My straightforward handbook, The Power of Joy, gives you the tools and advice you need to liberate yourself from your negativity and become the best version of yourself.

                                                            
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