Your Brain Is Playing Tricks On You

human beings tend to blindly trust their perception, to the point of considering it to be shared by everyone.

Without thinking, does the black figure seem to be facing us, or does it have its back to us? Are you above it, or below? You’re hesitating…

Now look at the image below: the individual clearly seems to be facing us, their elbows leant on the barrier, and they’re located above you. And now that you have this image in mind, look at the first version of the image again. The interpretation you make of it will copy the scenario that image (a) led you to see, and now the black figure appears to be facing you at a low-angle shot

brain, which shelters our knowledge, operates through estimates. The outcome is that our knowledge of things and of the world is always relative.

something unreal has just happened. This is what we call “magic”.

perception goes through our senses first.

“We don’t see the world as it is, but rather as we are

Isaac Asimov: the relativity of wrong. Contrary to popular belief, right and wrong are rarely ever absolute, but often rather relative.

Selection bias, coupled with confirmation bias, is a lever also used by influencers on social media. Most of them choose only to show what their followers demand to see: luxury hotels, paradise beaches, makeup and perfect bodies… Recently, more and more influencers, following the Australian Essena O’Neill,29 denounced what they call the “fake life” shown on Instagram. This “fantasy life” is a source of frustration for their followers because the photos feed the feeling of mediocrity they have regarding their own lives, and for the influencers, this life – which requires them to exclusively post photos of the same standard as the ones before, meaning to never put on a single pound or show any imperfections – creates huge pressure. Everyone ends up losing: the influencers and the followers.

When someone is stressed out, it’s useless telling them to calm down, because their brain is warning them that their life is in danger. This would be the equivalent of saying: “Come on now, stop wanting to survive, OK?” There are, however, techniques to fight against stress’s harmful side effects. Meditation, yoga, stretching, coherent breathing techniques and sports are effective

Thus, little by little, our interpretation of the world shapes us psychologically, culturally and socially.