7 Ways Our Brain Can Trick Us
Do you also have a favorite cup that makes tea tastier? And do you prefer taking things with your right hand (if you are a righty)? You have probably never thought that even the most ordinary actions are not just habits, but the tricks of our mind. If you want to know about the origin of these phenomena and also why you like to procrastinate before important events, read our article. All the answers are here.
Clamotion found out about the most interesting paradoxes of perception that will make you wonder about a lot of things.
Our eyes can change the taste of food
* Yellow plates make lemons smell stronger.
* Cold drinks are better served in cups of cooler colors.
* Food becomes sweeter if it is served on a pink plate.
The right hand seems to be longer than the left one
We think about ourselves in the future in the same way we do about a person we don’t know.
Our brain doesn’t see even the most obvious changes.
Scientists did an experiment: students went to job interviews and they were greeted by a person that helped them fill out all the necessary forms and explained what to do next. The students didn’t know that there was another person hiding under the desk and at some point, he would replace the first one. The one that was hiding didn’t look anything like the first one and they were even wearing different clothes, but the students didn’t notice any difference. The experiment was done many times and the results were always the same. Just imagine how many things we don’t even notice every day!
Our successes are only reasons for an indulgence
Our brain likes to find excuses for indulgence, which can lead to failure. Imagine that people with serious addiction are in this situation: when you praise them, they are very likely to return to what they had been trying to quit. The brain will always prefer a way less energy-consuming process or activity, even if it leads to a decrease in the duration of its life.
The lower your self-esteem is, the more attractive other people look.
The brain can’t tell the difference between reality and fantasy.
The brain has the same response to what you are thinking about and what you are doing, and there are several things that prove this idea:
* Scientists did an experiment where one group of people was asked to play the piano and the other group was asked to imagine that they were playing the piano. The reaction of the brains of the 2 groups were the same.
* In another experiment, scientists asked a group of people to imagine invisible food and eat it. The participants chewed it and swallowed the pieces of food that they imagined. The result was that they felt way less hungry.
* Our thoughts and how we feel are connected. The chemical reactions in the body happen no matter whether the situation is real or imaginary. For example, if you worry too much all the time, you can increase the level of cortisol (the stress hormone) in your blood. The good news is that the same principle works with serotonin (the hormone of happiness). So, if you imagine that you are happy, you can really improve how you feel.