Do you have more control over reality than you think? 🌍
Psychology experts believe that the reality we live in is not as fixed as we think. Even the simplest things, such as seeing the color of a red rose, depend on a complex interaction between light, the human eye, and the brain. This interaction opens the door to the idea that each individual has a unique view of the world, giving us an unexpected ability to shape our reality and take responsibility for our experiences.
The world as we see it: is it unified or made of multiple perspectives? 👁️
Lisa Feldman Barrett, Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, explains that the color we see is not a fixed property of the thing itself, but rather the result of a relationship between the object’s properties and the way the eye’s receptors interact with light, and that the brain processes these signals to form the images we see.
For that reason, color perception differs among living beings. For example, humans usually have three types of color receptors in the eye, while dogs have only two, which is why dogs see the color red differently and it may appear to humans as shades of brown.
This is not limited to differences between species; even humans who lose one type of these receptors are considered “color blind,” but what if we had four types of receptors instead of three? Would people with three units then be considered color blind in that case?
The basic idea here is that what we consider an “objective” reality is in fact a combination of the external world and the way we receive it. This changes our concept of truth and gives each person their own share of reality.
Emotions are not fixed either 💭
Barrett offers an example about emotions that we think of as unified universal expressions, such as anger. Anger expressions, such as frowning, do not necessarily carry the same meaning for everyone or in every culture. In Western culture, frowning means anger only in about one-third of cases, which reflects that emotional expression is built more on expectations and personal experiences than on a fixed biological expression.
Barrett explains how a child, as they grow up, learns to associate events or emotional expressions with certain labels, such as linking crying with anger, which forms the mental “box of perception” that affects how they understand and interact with their feelings and the world around them.
How do we control our reality? 🎯
This view of the world pushes us to rethink the concept of self-control. Rather than the traditional idea of control that relates to resisting desire (such as choosing an apple instead of potato chips), we can control our reality by expanding our box of perception.
For example, learning about different kinds of apples and trying to understand their flavors and qualities changes our memory and our previous experiences, and then adjusts the way we make choices later, which changes the reality we live in.
In this way, we do not only control our actions, but also the range of experiences available to us, which explains how our experiences, observations, and learning can expand or define the reality we experience.
Shared responsibility and our influence on others 🤝
This idea increases the size of our responsibilities, not only toward ourselves, but toward those around us as well. Barrett says that our actions and interactions with others can affect their attitudes and reactions, recalling the concept of “karma” as a simple principle that reflects that every action has a consequence.
In other words, we are not only recipients of reality, but participants in making it and influencing it, and responsible for how we deal with it responsibly.
Expanding the horizons of thought through strange questions 🧠
This philosophy encourages focusing on questions that may seem strange or unconventional, ones that move thought beyond the familiar frame. It calls for reexamining our beliefs and shifting our view of the world from different angles, which enhances the growth of perception and opens new horizons for understanding and everyday life.
This kind of thinking is not far from global culture that celebrates innovation and creative thinking, and it reflects the familiar interaction in major cities and cultural festivals that bring together people from diverse backgrounds.
Conclusion 📌
Our reality is not limited to what we see or feel directly, but is the product of a continuous relationship between the external world and our inner minds. By understanding this intertwined relationship, we can expand our control over our experiences, which redefines personal freedom and social responsibility at the same time.
Source: Big Think
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