Consciousness research: waiting for a breakthrough

The twentieth century has seen a scientific revolution. General relativity claims that fields are a crucial, deterministic part of reality. Quantum mechanics and string theory have introduced a difficult-to-predict and non-intuitive physical world. Biological Sciences also opened many secrets; Watson and Crick unveiled the structure of DNA in 1953. We learned intricate details of the cell's enzymatic pathways, and a recent achievement is human genome sequencing. Discovering the nature of consciousness should be a sweeping transformation that affects how we view ourselves and live our lives. 

It is not that we do not think about the mental world. On the contrary, people have been interested in their minds for thousands of years, making consciousness perhaps the most discussed philosophical subject. The ancient philosophical questions of whether the mind's nature is physical, spiritual, or dual have progressed surprisingly little since then. However, the progress in understanding brain operation during the twentieth century prepared the ground for science to investigate the true nature of consciousness.

What do we know about the brain? Santiago Ramón y Cajal and Korbinian Brodmann were the early pioneers of brain anatomy. Cajal's neural drawings still illustrate anatomy textbooks, and cortical areas are named after Brodmann. The brain's electric activity was first studied by Hans Berger in 1924. Over the past two decades, careful and ingenious studies have shown the crucial, interrelated relationship between frequencies and brain function. The shocking realization is not that a person's attitudes cause the brain's neural activity but that the concerted firings of neurons give rise to emotions, attitudes, and, finally, specific behavior. 

String theory daringly states that energy vibrations are matter. However, the material brain gives rise to spontaneous energy vibrations. These oscillations form a self-regulating system. When the brain's energy neutrality is disrupted, emotions emerge, dictating actions that restore an energy-neutral state. Indeed, unity is an essential feature of the mind. The body's representation in the brain allows a feeling of oneness with the body. Ideas and thoughts form a highly fluid, malleable mental background over which interaction with the outside world becomes possible. 

The mind is a sensory kaleidoscope of transient ideas and possibilities that distill a single decision or understanding. The sensory "forest" coalesces a unified experience: all other options cease to exist once we decide on a problem. As early as 1957, the powerful inner drive to maintain cognitive consonance was recognized by Leon Festinger. His cognitive dissonance theory states that incongruent belief or behaviors forces a mental change to avoid the frustration of cognitive or emotional discrepancy. People are willing to sacrifice their core convictions for mental congruence. The constancy of self becomes particularly apparent when changes, even dramatic ones, affect the body or the brain.

The memories and accumulated experience of the cortex constantly change. Of the billions of photons hitting the retina and the millions projected to the optic nerve, only a few thousand bits of information, or even fewer, produce conscious perception. Therefore, consciousness is a highly subjective (holographic) mental landscape, unknowable, with the power to surprise even the self. The holographic self is experienced differently by the viewer and the self. Although separate, consciousness is an interconnected part of the material world. The physical basis for evolution and consciousness science is the subject of The Science of Consciousness, my 2015 book.

Image credit: "Blausen gallery 2014" and By OpenStax College 

Discover more about consciousness by ordering my book, "Emotional Reasoning: Insight into the Conscious Experience."

Barnes & Noble

Amazon Books

From the Publisher

Copyright © 2017 by Eva Deli

The Science of Consciousness, a book you want to read

The book ‘The Science of Consciousness' introduces a new physical worldview. It proposes that the mind is a self-regulating physical system and an elementary particle, which interacts through elementary forces, called emotions. The complex neural organization of birds and mammals allows the formation of emotions based on the mind’s homeostatic regulation. Emotions are energy states of the brain, which become the tools of survival; with them, dangers can be avoided or overcome, and opportunities can be found. Animals with more sophisticated emotions appear later in evolution, and they exhibit great evolutionary advantages. Emotions allow them to be warm-blooded, form the mysterious world of consciousness, and form love to raise their young.

The mind's elementary forces are the emotional equivalents of gravity, electromagnetism, and the weak and the strong nuclear forces, which permit for the first time the real classification of emotions. Newton's laws and the laws of thermodynamics apply to material systems over space but govern emotional interactions over time. Thus the mind is a temporal fermion. Humans and even mammals exhibit hysteresis-like behavior, interference, entanglement, and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. The Pauli exclusion principle leads to territorial needs. The brain always recovers its energy-neutral state, the default mode network, which turns it into a quantum system. It is found that human decision making can be best described by quantum probability.

Recognizing the mind as a self-regulating system and an elementary particle can open the book of understanding animal and human behavior, social and physiological problems, uncover possible cure of mental diseases, and lead to better animal welfare. Understanding the nature and operation of emotions is like having a new city map or a GPS in a car. It becomes possible to navigate our lives and reach our goals. 

The book on Amazon            Sign up for my mailing list.

Copyright © 2015 by Eva Deli

Mental resonance is analogue to the corresponding phenomena in material systems

Korea Andong Dano Festival By Robert at Picasa

Systems can oscillate at varying frequencies. Resonance occurs when a system can store, transform, and transmit energy enhances amplitude at specific frequencies. For example, swings have a natural frequency of oscillation, on which they produce greater amplitude. The phenomenon is not limited to physical systems. Resonance has been observed in biological systems and even emotional animals. In animals and people, resonance entails an enhanced emotional response to specific situations. 

A beautiful example of temporal interference of the mind is described on Wikipedia. The setup is a game with an equal chance of winning $200 or losing $100. After the first game, participants are given a choice to play the second round. Unexpectedly, the response is dependent not on the result of the first game but on knowing the outcome. Whether people are told they won the first play or lost the first play, most people choose to play the second round. The common expectation is that the two rounds should be independent of each other. 

Nevertheless, when people are in the dark about the results, they choose not to play the second time. The outcome should be the average of the two outcomes but instead, the results reflect a quantum interference, like the results of double-slit experiments in physics. (In this experiment, the photon travels through two slits to a screen producing an interference pattern there.) Awareness of the score creates interaction, which eliminates interference. Without the results, the situation remains open. 

In everyday life, the phenomenon can take many forms, such as a scientific search for an elusive particle, hunting for a wild game, or waiting for a lost love. Without the certainty of ‘knowing,’ the mind is in quantum limbo and retains the ability for interference.

The reason for the above phenomena is the self-regulating nature of the emotional animal brain. Mental interference is an energy redistribution process whereby personal emotional tendencies are exaggerated or extinguished over time. In other words, interference exaggerates curiosity. The momentary energy peak can spur quick, arbitrary decisions and purchases. Advertisements take advantage of the narrow focus of excitement and try to spur action (buying) in a short time window. For example, you might admire your friend's new phone. An interference via an advertisement can prompt a purchase without remembering the original inspiration. Such interference produces social phenomena by way of temporal waves and bursts. Positive interference often leads to exaggerated interest, such as an investment bubble. However, over time, negative interference extinguishes enthusiasm and produce avoidance.  

Mental interference also occurs in our everyday lives. Degraded surroundings induce delinquent behavior, and the smelling of household cleaners promotes cleanliness; playing violent video games increases aggressivity, but prosocial games encourage friendliness. Understanding the above phenomenon better can help you make more thoughtful decisions.

The book on Amazon           Sign up for my mailing list.

     

Copyright © 2017 by Eva Deli

Emotional hysteresis regulates the behavior of intelligent animals

The memory-dependent behavior of elastic and ferromagnetic materials is known as hysteresis. Unlike elasticity, which represents a flexible state, hysteresis involves deformation due to excessive force, resulting in warming. It also requires a cooling period before returning to the initial state. Hysteresis-like behavior can be observed in various systems, including neurology, histology, cell biology, genetics, respiratory psychology, economics, game theory, and unemployment. In these instances, the disturbed system only regains its characteristic behavior after a delay. Because the stimulation threshold depends on their emotional history in emotion-forming animals, they can exhibit this behavior.  

In emotion-forming animals, the degree of irritation influences behavior. For example, at moderate stress, a dog will exhibit a smooth transition of responses, requiring much larger irritation to move from cowed to angry. At higher stress levels, irritation causes the dog to reach a 'fold' point, suddenly snapping into angry mode. Once in 'angry' mode, it will remain angry even if the direct irritation parameter is considerably reduced. This necessary period for the dog to calm down is analogous to the delayed recovery of heated-up elastic material. 

Similarly, adopting attitudes from others can lead to social ferromagnetism. Social groups function as emotional ferromagnets. A shared emotional orientation guides thinking and behavior in most situations. This is why social groups often shop at the same stores, take similar vacations, vote for the same candidates, and hold similar views on many issues. The field shapes individual attitudes in nearly every problem. The collective opinion evolves constantly and gradually over time due to its members' experiences and emotional influences. 

This shared orientation, guided by the social field, is exemplified by the formation of opinions. For example, peers' behavior and personal intentions can better predict individual responses to challenges. Because social groups have such a powerful influence on behavior, behavioral modification spreads like an infectious disease within these groups. This phenomenon holds true even among people who do not know one another! The finding was revealed by a social study on happiness, quitting smoking, and discontent but likely extends to many other behaviors and habits (Hill, 2010). A recent study found that social media groups create a social bubble, limiting available information to like-minded individuals and leading to a collective social bias. Indeed, recent surprising social changes in many countries (Brexit, the Arab Spring, or the election of Donald Trump) might stem from such a collective attitude. 

Picture credit: Dogs By Peter Wadsworth

The book Emotional Reasoning: Insight into the Conscious Experience was published on August 30, 2024. 

To order:

Barnes & Noble

Amazon Books

From the Publisher

       

Copyright © 2017 by Eva Deli

Emotional fluorescence is known as passive aggression

Relationships are complicated. Problems pull the partners in different directions, testing trust and commitment. When conflicts accumulate, their dark energy can unleash an unexpected emotional storm. What is the explanation for such fury?

In atoms, incoming photons can temporarily increase bound electrons' energy, causing them to jump into an unstable, higher orbit. After some delay, the particle radiates out the absorbed energy and returns to its primary state. When the released energy takes the form of visible light, the phenomenon is called fluorescence. The process is not limited to inanimate matter. Living creatures, jellyfish, and hundreds of other marine animals can display this fascinating ability thanks to fluorescent proteins in their bodies. Here I will show that passive aggression is analog to fluorescence, which transmits emotional energy between people (and animals). 

In materials, fluorescence occurs with bound electrons. Similarly, emotional fluorescence requires a commitment to partnership, employment, or other loyalty. In the first step, adversity forms an energetically heightened mental state, which creates an emotional distance. The absorbed emotional energy can simmer under the surface for an extended period generating vignettes of past events and bitter memories. The aggravation constrictsonstrict mental focus, leading to a partial, judgmental vision. The constricted mind is searching for an excuse and an opportune moment to retaliate. 

The second step of emotional fluorescence, criticism, sarcasm, judgment, or innuendo projects out the excess negative energy. The mind and the focus relax into the present. Emotional fluorescence can operate between couples as a pendulum and move emotional energy back and forth in synchrony, identical to resonance fluorescence. Emotional fluorescence can also migrate from the presidential chair down the ranks until someone kicks an innocent dog.

Related: Emotional temperature controls mob b.ehavior

Picture credit: Fluorescence, by Hgrobe

                              The book on Amazon                Sign up for my mailing list.

Copyright © 2017 by Eva Deli

How does science progress? An assessment from the twenty-first century

The twentieth century was the century of change, as technological innovation created unparalleled progress. Science came to be viewed as the only possible tool capable of solving the problems of modern man. Radical and groundbreaking ideas, such as general relativity or quantum mechanics literally started a new framework of understanding and a wave of discoveries. But even for physicists, it was difficult to accept these radical concepts at first. Even Einstein and Schrodinger have struggled with quantum mechanics, and an experimental proof was necessary for a full acceptance of general relativity.

But how does science progresses? Accumulation of scientific data prepares the stage for rare conceptual jumps. However, uncertainty in a field often leads to consideration of unreasonable solutions. For example, in the nineteen-century aether was invented to explain the spread of gravity and electromagnetism. Radical ideas test the accepted vision of reality, which attracts few practitioners. The Pioneers have to fight against the old ideas at every level to get their voice heard. However, once accepted, the theory becomes a magnet. Scientists eagerly flood to the field to explore and develop it further. The new approach can be cross-examined against accepted traditional understanding, exponentially increasing its applicability and importance. With concerted effort, a more detailed picture of the field emerges, and lead to new discoveries. The new field develops in leaps and bounds, as the hypothesis is exploited in countless applications within related disciplines. As the theory becomes a common understanding among scientists, the field stabilizes around its rules, and methods, which gradually reduces the field's flexibility. Here and there some experiments begin to question the basic understanding of the theory. However, the well-developed field shows rigidity to new ideas and resist change. Tests that do not support, or might contradict the theory, are packaged with increasingly fantastic, extravagant explanations. 

The ideas that led to great jumps in scientific thinking have often come from outside, from someone who is not bound by the restraints of a traditional understanding of the field. For example, Galileo was a college dropout, Goldbach was an amateur mathematician, Einstein a patent clerk and Michael Faraday, a pioneer of electromagnetism, was a bookseller. Satyendra Nath Bose, a mathematician, published in theoretical physics and made deep studies in chemistry, zoology, and anthropology. Bosons are named in his honor. Leibniz was a lawyer and a diplomat but remembered from his studies in mathematics, physics, and technology. Green's theorem is named after George Green, who introduced and formulated a mathematical theory of electricity and magnetism with only one year of formal education.  

The beginning of the twenty-first century is a chaotic time in physics. Quantum mechanics is still just as unapproachable toward traditional logic as it was in Einstein's day and its mysterious implications became the more baffling, the more one tries to understand it. Unification of general relativity and quantum mechanics is still nowhere in sight. An increasing number of problems cannot be explained by the Standard Model. The Higgs boson was the answer to Standard Model's inability to explain particle mass. The 40 years search culminated in finding an enormously massive a bump, but even after five years, nothing more (such as mass) has been found out about the particle. However, inconsistencies with the Standard Model was not remedied by this hugely publicized finding. The Higgs boson is a particle (or particles) of a Higgs field that grants mass via interaction. The proposed operation is immensely complex and hard to understand even for physicists. Do we really need such a complicated mechanism in the twenty-first century, when people's attention span is short even for television? The twenty-first century is beginning to look like the end of the nineteen century, where an aether-like medium is now called the Higgs field. Theoretical physics is waiting for a new, radical idea.

Some new ideas about physical reality and a possible path toward unification of general relativity and quantum mechanics are presented in my book, find it on Amazon.

Copyright © 2017 by Eva Deli

Emotions are the elementary forces of the mind

In the words of French philosopher Francois de La Rochefoucauld, "If we resist our passion, it is more due to their weakness than our strength." Emotions also play a significant role in intellectual abilities, as feelings-based decision-making is often superior to artificial intelligence. Yet, while the essential function of recognizing a person is within a range of artificial capabilities, emotions remain elusive. 

For example, the emotional nature of memories enables a dog to avoid someone who mistreated it. Emotions are subjective, but their extraordinary decision-making power can help distinguish the perpetrator's face from the police lineup, recognize our childhood home, or the overture of a classical opera. Feelings make consciousness an incomputable process, utterly distinct from the physical processes that accompany it. Therefore, not only the blind but all emotional creatures feel their way around.

Of course, what is scientifically very difficult to propose and prove, philosophers and artists intuitively knew for a long, long time. For example, music is a universal language that conveys emotions. We can identify with a Chinese folk song or an Italian opera aria via the feelings they convey. Because music expresses emotions, it can convey love, but not the stock market or the global economy. 

Emotions are not evolutionary accidents but rather the primary motivators and survival tools of animals that possess them. With them, dangers can be overcome, and opportunities can be found. We are good, generous, and trusting because of our emotions. On the other hand, we betray others, commit a crime, and feel remorse because of them. Emotions are much more powerful than we acknowledge, and we often cannot recognize the extent to which they play in our lives because we identify with them. Therefore, emotions are the fundamental forces of motivation. The book Emotional Reasoning: Insight into the Conscious Experience details the role of emotions in mental operations. 

Sign up for my mailing list to never miss a post. 

The book Emotional Reasoning: Insight into the Conscious Experience was published on August 30, 2024. 

To order:

Barnes & Noble

Amazon Books

From the Publisher

Copyright © 2014 by Eva Deli