What did you drink when you woke up this morning? Tea? Coffee? A smoothie? And what made you decide to choose that particular beverage?

The answer to this question is not as simple as, “because I felt like drinking coffee this morning”. Instead, according to Sam Harris: “The choice was made for me by events in my brain that I, as the conscious witness of my thoughts and actions, could not inspect or influence. Could I have ‘changed my mind’ and switched to tea before the coffee drinker in me could get his bearings? Yes, but this impulse would also have been the product of unconscious causes. […] The intention to do one thing and not another does not originate in consciousness – rather, it appears in consciousness, as does any thought or impulse that might oppose it.” [1]

This profound view is neatly summarized: “Just because you can do what you want does not mean you have free will, because you are not choosing what you want in the first place.” [2]

So, as people, we think that we are in conscious control of our decisions, but in fact, we are not.

Our conscious brains try to take credit for the unconscious, when essentially, it is the unconscious brain that does the work and should take the credit. According to Jeffrey Kluger, “the conscious you, in effect, is like a not terribly bright CEO, whose subordinates do all the research, draft all the documents, then lay them out and say, ‘Sign here, sir.’ The CEO does—and takes the credit.” [3]

Remarkable evidence for our unconscious driving our decision making is found in [4]: Researchers conducted an experiment using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to analyze what happens in the brain just before a decision is made. Participants were asked to press one of two buttons, one operated by the left index finger, the other the right index finger, when they felt the urge to do so. The researchers then analyzed the brain scans before and at the time the decision was made and found predictive information about which button would be pressed 7-10 seconds before the participant consciously made their motor decision.

According to Mlodinow, “the way we experience the world is largely driven by this unconscious processing” [5]. Our unconscious behavior is automatic and occurs without awareness or intention. What is more, is that the unconscious mind is extremely vulnerable to subliminal effects - stimuli that occur below our threshold of consciousness, yet feed our visual, auditory and social perceptions [6].

To illustrate the power of these subliminal effects, consider the following three examples:

1. The “eyes” have it. Post a large picture of a pair of eyes at a bus stop (versus a picture of flowers), and people become more likely to clean up litter. Post a picture of eyes in a workplace coffee room, and the money paid on the honor system triples. Show a pair of eyes on a computer screen and people become more generous in online economic games [7].

2. The smell of fear. Researchers got armpit swabs from volunteers under two conditions – contentedly sweating during a comfortable run, or after sweating in terror during their first tandem skydive. Subjects sniffed each type of sweat and couldn’t consciously distinguish between them. However, sniffing terrified sweat (but not contented sweat) caused a bigger startle response, improved detection of subliminal angry faces, and increased odds of interpreting an ambiguous face as looking fearful. If people around you smell scared, your brain tilts toward concluding that you are too [7].

3. Oui or Ja? Researchers investigated the extent to which background music influenced customers’ purchasing decisions in supermarkets. French and German wines were placed in a supermarket, and either French music or German music was played on alternating days. On the days that French music was played, 77% of the wine sold was French. Alternatively, on the days that German music was played, 73% of the wine sold was German. Moreover, in a survey administered to customers after their purchase, it was clear that most customers were unaware of the effect of the music on their purchasing decision [5].

From these three examples, we can see how the unconscious brain can impact our behavior and make decisions for us, without our conscious awareness. Yet we still believe that we make the choice consciously.

You might ask how these subliminal effects, together with the unconscious, have this influence. The answer, as it is for most human behavior, is a combination of nature and nurture.

Nature: According to Mlodinow, the unconscious is a “gift of evolution that is crucial to our survival of a species” [5]. Our ancestors had to be able to think quickly and act on their reflexes and instincts as much as possible to catch their prey, run from predators, and survive.

Nurture: Our childhood experiences, cultural forces and the way things are framed also play a vital role in shaping our unconscious mind [6].

Ultimately, our perceptions, memories, and social judgments are all constructed by our unconscious from little data, employing context, expectation, and desire [5].

But so what if my unconscious chose coffee before I was consciously aware that I wanted coffee?

Well, our unconscious behavior goes far beyond choosing tea or coffee in the morning. It is imperative to understand the tug the unconscious exerts on us, so as to prevent becoming overwhelmed by impulses that are hard to control and understand, yet influence every aspect of our lives. By understanding the unconscious and its role, we can come to terms with our unconscious selves and try to overcome certain impulses, as we try to make our way in the world [8].

How do we do this? We can start by developing good habits, so that our unconscious directs our body to behave in a positive manner that drives us toward achieving what we desire. This includes the habit of stepping back and taking a holistic view and giving conscious thought and consideration when important factors are in play. In the words of Margaret Thatcher we can positively influence our futures: “Watch your thoughts, for they will become actions. Watch your actions, for they’ll become habits. Watch your habits for they will forge your character. Watch your character, for it will make your destiny.”

As people, we should also try to be more understanding and accepting of others. Sapolsky argues that in the same way a mechanic would attribute the poor performance of a malfunctioning car to its faulty parts, people should understand that our behavior is no different - it is caused by the mechanics of our brains [7]. Perhaps it is only fair to remember this when interacting with others.

“The truth is that our unconscious minds are active, purposeful, and independent. Hidden they may be, but their effects are anything but, for they play a crucial role in shaping the way our conscious minds experience and respond to the world.” [5]

Acknowledgements to my co-author for this article: Jordan Sher [9].

References:

[1] “Free Will”, Sam Harris

[2] https://jamesclear.com/book-summaries/free-will

[3] http://time.com/3937351/consciousness-unconsciousness-brain/

[4] “Brain makes decisions before you even know it”, Nature, 11 April 2008

[5] “Subliminal”, Leonard Mlodinow

[6] Mlodinow’s Google talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ-IfVHJH58

[7] “Behave”, Robert Sapolsky

[8] https://acmelab.yale.edu/sites/default/files/our_unconscious_mind.pdf

[9] https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-sher-600690151/