Lisa Feldman Barrett
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
So when you are living your everyday life.
Like right now.
So right now I'm guessing that I'm saying things to you and you're perceiving what I'm saying and then you're reacting to it.
That's how it feels to you, right?
Yes.
Okay.
And that's how it feels to me too.
So we sense and then we react.
That's the way most people experience themselves in the world.
That's not actually what's happening under the hood.
Really what's happening is that your brain is not reacting, it's predicting.
And what that means is if we were to stop time right now, just freeze time, your brain would be in a state and it would be remembering
past experiences that are similar
to this state as a way of predicting what to do next, like literally in the next moment.
Should your eyes move?
Should your heart rate go up?
Should your breathing change?
Should your blood vessels dilate or should they constrict?
Should you prepare to stand?
Right?