Welcome to the you are not so smart podcast episode 231

in this episode we sit down with neurologist Robert Burton I wanted to meet

Burton because he wrote a book and last year I read that book it was published in

2008 and it's called on being certain and it fundamentally changed the way I think

about what a belief actually is and that's because in the book he explores certainty

itself the biological output of neurons delivering a sensation of certainty or the lack there

of and in one section he talked about the neuroscience behind aha moments and he used this

description as an example see if you can make sense of it a newspaper is better than a magazine

a seashore is a better place than a street at first it is better to run than to walk you may

have to try several times it takes some skill but it is easy to learn even young children can

enjoy it once successful complications are minimal birds seldom get too close

rain however soaks in very fast too many people doing the same thing can also cause problems

one needs lots of room if there are no complications it can be very peaceful a rock will serve as an

anchor if things break loose from it however you will not get a second chance when you hear this

you get that I don't understand feeling you can feel your lack of certainty about what is

being described but if I tell you what the text describes you get a completely different feeling

and you have no choice in the matter it happens to you like the pain that comes from bumping your

knee against the corner of a table I'll read it again and try to remember the way you felt the

first time I read it compared to this time after I've told you that what I am describing

is a kite a newspaper is better than a magazine a seashore is a better place than a street

at first it is better to run than to walk you may have to try several times it takes some skill

but it is easy to learn even young children can enjoy it once successful complications are minimal

...