David Eagleman: A neuroscientist discusses time, perception and consciousness
Into the Magic Shop
English - August 15, 2022 15:11 - 1 hour - 61.3 MB - ★★★★★ - 38 ratingsSelf-Improvement Education Health & Fitness Mental Health compassion magic shop stress depression suffering consciousness faith spirituality heart mind Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
When American neuroscientist, David Eagleman, was eight years old, he fell off the roof of a house. As he fell, he thought how long it was taking to hit the ground, and how this must be what it was like to be Alice in Wonderland.
Later, he calculated that he only fell for 0.6 seconds. The time distortion he experienced in that life threatening situation stuck with him, underpinning his adult journey through neuroscience.
In this episode of Into The Magic Shop, David shares his subsequent research around time distortion - why enjoyable times pass quickly and why we lost track of days and weeks during COVID.
“So in the case of judging how long something took, it's all about how much memory you've laid down.”
And did you know, only 5% of what we ‘see’ actually comes from our eyes? From why eyewitness testimonies aren’t to be trusted, to what consciousness is, and what happens during a near death experience - don’t miss David explain why our memories construct what we think is reality.
“The brain is locked in silence and darkness, it doesn't see or hear or smell anything. All it can do is say, okay, look, I've got these spikes coming up these cables, what should I pay attention to?”
This is a fascinating episode you don’t want to miss.
On today’s podcast:
How the brain constructs time
Your eyes don’t actually see the outside world
The nature of consciousness
What is a near death experience
Links:
www.eagleman.com