Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman Ep76 "How do you decide?" (Part 2)
Sep 16, 2024
In this discussion, David Eagleman, a renowned neuroscientist specializing in brain science and decision-making, explores the mind's intricate processes when faced with choices. He delves into how conflicting neural networks influence even simple decisions and examines how past experiences and prediction errors shape our actions. Eagleman links cognitive biases to societal events like the 2008 economic crash and advocates for understanding addiction through impulse control rather than legal punishment, emphasizing rehabilitation over retribution.
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Brain's Decision-Making
- The brain is a sophisticated decision-making machine, constantly choosing among options.
- This process involves internal conflicts between different brain networks, often unconsciously.
Rewards and Humans
- Humans are driven by secondary rewards, things that predict primary rewards like food and water.
- Unlike animals, we prioritize abstract concepts like political ideology over biological needs.
Mental Time Travel
- The brain engages in "time travel" by simulating potential future outcomes to make decisions.
- These simulations rely on past experiences and current models of the world, influencing reward anticipation.