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It was reported that roughly 1 in 20 people report having at least one hallucination in a lifetime. Maybe it was drug induced or simply a dream. Either way, how is it that you can have vivid imagery about what feels like reality in the moment? Dr. Jonas Kaplan joins Tom in this conversation to discuss all the ways your brain is filling in the gaps of its own break in knowledge. The brain is truly fascinating to study and so important to understand when you want to be more open-minded and question your beliefs or get a better perception of and understanding of what reality truly is. Part of seeing reality as it really is versus how your brain predicts it to be is coming face to face with information that challenges the beliefs you hold. Jonas and Tom explore research studies that reveal the freaky nature of how our brains really work and ways you can hack your way past the overprotective nature of your brain. Dr. Jonas Kaplan is the Associate Professor of psychology at USC Brain and Creativity Institute, Co-Director of the Dana & David Dornsife Cognitive Neuroimaging Center, and Associate Director for Mindfulness and Neuroimaging for the USC Center for Mindfulness Science

SHOW NOTES:

0:00 | Introduction Jonas Kaplan
0:21 | Brain Illusions vs Reality
10:37 | Split Brain Confabulation
22:39 | Executive Function Network
26:04 | Changing Your Beliefs
32:20 | When Identity Is Challenged
41:37 | Mindfulness & Self Narrative
53:02 | Dissolution of Self
1:02:19 | Meaning Making & Stories
1:08:27 | Filmmaking & Neuroscience
1:13:51 | Hacking Your Brain
1:19:39 | Brain Body Malfunction
1:22:48 | Homunculus Sensory Map
1:28:23 | Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

QUOTES:

“The brain builds a model of the world that it has to navigate, right, it builds a simulated picture of what the world is like. That's where beliefs come from.” [2:29]

“The brain wants to create a consistent view of the world. And that provides a motivation to find information that's consistent with what we think.” [8:49]

“Everything's so interconnected that each region of the brain is not corresponding to one particular mental function for the most part...” [24:30]

“Most of us organize our lives in such a way that we never even really have to encounter evidence that challenges our beliefs.” [29:35]

“Feelings are the brain signals that there's some kind of a challenge going on to the body.” [33:37]

“There is probably some value in maintaining our beliefs, and protecting them to some degree, and also in sharing them with other people and building the connections that we have with other people based on shared models of reality” [38:01]

Follow Jonas Kaplan:
Website: http://www.jonaskaplan.com/
Podcast: https://floatpodcast.libsyn.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jonas_kaplan