1 00:00:00,133 --> 00:00:02,500 Astronauts take a look at Earth from space 2 00:00:02,533 --> 00:00:04,400 Are you enlightened? 3 00:00:04,566 --> 00:00:05,566 And here's the strange thing. 4 00:00:05,900 --> 00:00:08,900 Humans have sent more than 650 people into space 5 00:00:08,933 --> 00:00:11,266 Some of these guys are military pilots. 6 00:00:11,266 --> 00:00:12,300 There are engineers 7 00:00:12,300 --> 00:00:13,533 We have physicists. 8 00:00:13,533 --> 00:00:15,866 All of them have received the strictest training in reason 9 00:00:16,266 --> 00:00:18,500 But a large number of them 10 00:00:18,500 --> 00:00:20,100 After returning from space 11 00:00:20,133 --> 00:00:20,666 Personality has changed 12 00:00:20,866 --> 00:00:22,966 People quit their jobs to go green. 13 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:24,700 Some people start studying philosophy 14 00:00:24,700 --> 00:00:26,566 Somebody started a charity. 15 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:29,233 Someone said something that sounded like a Zen quote 16 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,066 Apollo 14 astronaut Edgar Mitchell 17 00:00:33,066 --> 00:00:35,533 On the way back from the moon to the earth 18 00:00:35,533 --> 00:00:37,666 Looking out the window at the earth and the stars 19 00:00:37,700 --> 00:00:40,933 Suddenly had an experience he called samadhi 20 00:00:40,933 --> 00:00:44,500 It takes a Buddhist and Hindu practitioner a lifetime to make it possible 21 00:00:44,500 --> 00:00:46,166 Achieved state of consciousness 22 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:47,933 He said that at that moment 23 00:00:47,933 --> 00:00:49,166 I felt the oneness of everything. 24 00:00:50,033 --> 00:00:53,800 This guy had a Ph.D. in aerospace from MIT. 25 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:55,400 A naval test pilot 26 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:57,733 He's the hardest technocratic guy you can think of 27 00:00:58,100 --> 00:01:00,200 After he came back from the moon 28 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,300 He started an organization called the Institute for the Sciences of Mind. 29 00:01:03,333 --> 00:01:05,166 Spend the rest of my life studying the nature of consciousness 30 00:01:06,433 --> 00:01:10,166 A military scientist trained in the highest level of rationality 31 00:01:10,266 --> 00:01:11,400 One look at the earth 32 00:01:11,433 --> 00:01:12,333 Enlightened 33 00:01:12,433 --> 00:01:13,233 This is not an isolated case 34 00:01:13,533 --> 00:01:15,066 This is a phenomenon that has a name. 35 00:01:15,900 --> 00:01:17,233 So, 1987. 36 00:01:17,233 --> 00:01:21,600 After interviewing a large number of astronauts, space philosopher Frank White 37 00:01:21,633 --> 00:01:23,866 They gave it a name. 38 00:01:23,900 --> 00:01:25,000 It's called the general effect. 39 00:01:25,700 --> 00:01:27,333 You can Baidu its definition 40 00:01:27,633 --> 00:01:28,766 Frank found out 41 00:01:28,766 --> 00:01:32,500 A large proportion of astronauts spend long periods of time in space 42 00:01:32,533 --> 00:01:35,000 Will report some degree of cognitive shift 43 00:01:35,633 --> 00:01:39,266 The earth they see and the earth they understand on the ground 44 00:01:39,266 --> 00:01:41,000 They're two completely different things. 45 00:01:41,133 --> 00:01:41,466 Hello 46 00:01:41,500 --> 00:01:42,066 Hello. 47 00:01:42,066 --> 00:01:42,800 I am Wang Lijie 48 00:01:43,500 --> 00:01:46,733 Today I want to tease down this space overview effect in depth with you 49 00:01:47,566 --> 00:01:50,433 But I'm not going to tell you a heartwarming story about space. 50 00:01:50,700 --> 00:01:51,933 Here's what I'm going to do. 51 00:01:51,933 --> 00:01:55,066 Using the cognitive framework that our channel has established 52 00:01:55,100 --> 00:01:57,000 To explain a problem 53 00:01:57,033 --> 00:01:59,766 What's really going on inside the astronaut's brain? 54 00:02:00,133 --> 00:02:04,266 How could a single glance at the Earth produce such a profound cognitive shift? 55 00:02:04,433 --> 00:02:05,566 But here's the thing. 56 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:06,533 This transformation 57 00:02:06,566 --> 00:02:08,266 We're not going to space. 58 00:02:08,300 --> 00:02:10,533 Is it possible to reproduce it on the ground? 59 00:02:10,633 --> 00:02:13,166 Let's see what the astronauts actually reported 60 00:02:14,066 --> 00:02:18,200 There's an observation module on the International Space Station called the Dome Module. 61 00:02:18,233 --> 00:02:19,800 Seven windows facing the earth 62 00:02:19,933 --> 00:02:23,100 Astronauts often float there between jobs 63 00:02:23,133 --> 00:02:24,866 Just quietly looking out the window 64 00:02:25,766 --> 00:02:29,900 Artemis 2 mission expert Christina Koch described 65 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:32,566 You look through the dome. 66 00:02:32,566 --> 00:02:35,766 See the Earth suspended in the background of the entire universe 67 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:39,533 You see that little, little blue line in the atmosphere. 68 00:02:39,566 --> 00:02:41,000 To the dark side of the earth 69 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,766 You'll see a smaller green line. 70 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:45,200 Marking the edge of the atmosphere 71 00:02:46,066 --> 00:02:47,633 And then you realize. 72 00:02:47,666 --> 00:02:49,066 Everyone you know 73 00:02:49,066 --> 00:02:51,233 It's all wrapped in that green line 74 00:02:51,900 --> 00:02:54,500 And everything outside the line is completely lethal 75 00:02:55,166 --> 00:02:56,500 You can't see the border. 76 00:02:56,866 --> 00:02:58,533 You don't see the religious divide. 77 00:02:58,933 --> 00:03:00,400 You can't see the boundaries of politics. 78 00:03:00,766 --> 00:03:03,366 Retired astronaut Mike Foreman said 79 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:06,800 If you weren't an environmentalist before you went to space 80 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:10,033 You'll be at least half an environmentalist when you come back. 81 00:03:10,433 --> 00:03:12,966 Because when you look at how thin that atmosphere is 82 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,566 How fragile is that membrane that protects us? 83 00:03:15,566 --> 00:03:16,600 You think about this. 84 00:03:16,633 --> 00:03:17,066 God 85 00:03:17,066 --> 00:03:18,700 We have to protect this thing. 86 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,933 There are several recurring keywords in astronaut descriptions 87 00:03:22,933 --> 00:03:23,733 awe 88 00:03:23,766 --> 00:03:24,466 fragile 89 00:03:24,500 --> 00:03:25,200 Unification 90 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:26,466 Borders disappear 91 00:03:26,500 --> 00:03:27,100 self-shrinking 92 00:03:27,333 --> 00:03:28,133 Pay attention to these words 93 00:03:28,566 --> 00:03:30,766 If you are a regular viewer of this channel 94 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:32,566 You should be starting to feel familiar 95 00:03:33,333 --> 00:03:36,400 Because we've seen these words in several videos 96 00:03:36,633 --> 00:03:38,766 Except they're not about space. 97 00:03:38,766 --> 00:03:39,500 It's meditation. 98 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:40,533 LSD 99 00:03:40,733 --> 00:03:41,600 Predictive coding. 100 00:03:41,966 --> 00:03:45,700 Now let me put the overview effect on the operating table in neuroscience. 101 00:03:46,733 --> 00:03:49,733 Remember the core theory I talked about in the Predictive Coding issue? 102 00:03:49,766 --> 00:03:52,200 Your brain is not a passive receiver 103 00:03:52,233 --> 00:03:54,400 It's an active predictor. 104 00:03:55,066 --> 00:03:57,300 It starts by making up a model world 105 00:03:57,333 --> 00:03:59,133 We then calibrate it with sensory data. 106 00:03:59,700 --> 00:04:01,933 The reality you are experiencing at this moment 107 00:04:01,933 --> 00:04:05,233 It's essentially a controlled hallucination generated by the brain from top down 108 00:04:06,033 --> 00:04:07,466 So here's the problem. 109 00:04:07,500 --> 00:04:09,766 What are the raw materials for brain prediction models? 110 00:04:09,933 --> 00:04:11,433 Is all your past experience 111 00:04:12,233 --> 00:04:13,866 You have been born until now 112 00:04:13,900 --> 00:04:17,533 Your brain has accumulated a set of prior beliefs about what the world looks like 113 00:04:17,766 --> 00:04:20,933 And there's a very central part of these prior beliefs. 114 00:04:20,966 --> 00:04:23,000 It's called the self-model. 115 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:23,966 Who are you? 116 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:25,000 Where are you? 117 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:26,600 Where are your boundaries? 118 00:04:26,633 --> 00:04:27,633 What's yours? 119 00:04:27,633 --> 00:04:28,466 What is someone else's? 120 00:04:28,933 --> 00:04:30,833 The physical basis of this self-model 121 00:04:30,866 --> 00:04:35,166 It's the default mode network DMN that we talked about in detail in the meditation issue. 122 00:04:35,366 --> 00:04:36,866 Default Mode Network 123 00:04:36,900 --> 00:04:40,066 You're most active when you're not doing anything specific. 124 00:04:40,766 --> 00:04:43,200 It's doing three things all the time. 125 00:04:43,233 --> 00:04:44,233 rummage through old accounts 126 00:04:44,233 --> 00:04:45,133 script 127 00:04:45,133 --> 00:04:45,766 Write a play review 128 00:04:46,033 --> 00:04:48,966 It's a never-ending narrative generator. 129 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:51,033 It has only one core product 130 00:04:51,233 --> 00:04:52,133 My story 131 00:04:52,900 --> 00:04:53,966 I am Wang Lijie 132 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:55,800 I am an angel investor 133 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:57,000 Where do I live? 134 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:58,233 What do I like? 135 00:04:58,233 --> 00:04:59,266 What am I worried about? 136 00:04:59,300 --> 00:05:00,433 Where are my boundaries? 137 00:05:00,733 --> 00:05:02,833 These narratives make up your sense of self. 138 00:05:02,933 --> 00:05:03,733 And here's the kicker. 139 00:05:04,333 --> 00:05:08,666 A functional magnetic resonance imaging study published in 2019 found that 140 00:05:08,700 --> 00:05:11,400 When people experience the emotion of awe 141 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:14,133 Default mode network activity drops significantly 142 00:05:14,266 --> 00:05:15,333 Specifically 143 00:05:15,333 --> 00:05:15,933 frontal pole 144 00:05:15,966 --> 00:05:16,566 diagonal gyrus 145 00:05:16,566 --> 00:05:18,300 posterior cingulate cortex 146 00:05:18,300 --> 00:05:21,133 These are the core nodes of the default mode network 147 00:05:21,166 --> 00:05:23,433 Significantly reduced active level in awe experience 148 00:05:23,700 --> 00:05:24,400 at the same time 149 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:28,466 Enhancement of frontal-parietal network activity associated with attention and saliency detection 150 00:05:29,566 --> 00:05:30,866 In human terms 151 00:05:30,900 --> 00:05:34,100 When you are struck by something extremely vast 152 00:05:34,100 --> 00:05:38,366 The module in your brain that keeps nagging me and me suddenly goes quiet 153 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:41,066 It's replaced by a kind of preoccupation. 154 00:05:41,066 --> 00:05:42,066 immersive 155 00:05:42,066 --> 00:05:42,966 The state of looking out 156 00:05:43,300 --> 00:05:47,366 The researchers use a very precise term to describe this state 157 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:48,066 self-shrinking 158 00:05:49,066 --> 00:05:51,233 Subjects after experiencing awe 159 00:05:51,233 --> 00:05:52,933 Report that you feel smaller 160 00:05:53,533 --> 00:05:55,000 It's not that the body gets smaller 161 00:05:55,033 --> 00:05:57,733 It's that the mental boundary of me shrinks. 162 00:05:57,733 --> 00:05:58,666 Or dissolved 163 00:05:58,933 --> 00:06:02,066 Now you put that finding together with the astronaut's report. 164 00:06:02,733 --> 00:06:05,600 What did the astronauts see in the dome? 165 00:06:05,733 --> 00:06:07,666 They saw the whole earth 166 00:06:07,666 --> 00:06:11,366 A blue sphere suspended against the dark background of the universe 167 00:06:11,633 --> 00:06:14,166 Wrapped in an incredibly thin atmosphere 168 00:06:14,433 --> 00:06:17,333 There's a sense of grandeur and wholeness in this visual stimulus. 169 00:06:17,733 --> 00:06:20,433 Far more than anything you can encounter on earth 170 00:06:21,033 --> 00:06:23,866 You're amazing enough to stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon 171 00:06:23,900 --> 00:06:25,933 But that's just a crack in the earth's surface 172 00:06:26,333 --> 00:06:28,833 What you see from space is the entire earth 173 00:06:28,833 --> 00:06:30,133 Your whole world 174 00:06:30,133 --> 00:06:31,633 Your entire frame of reference 175 00:06:31,666 --> 00:06:34,300 The physical vehicle of your entire identity 176 00:06:34,300 --> 00:06:36,300 Shrunk into a blue marble 177 00:06:37,033 --> 00:06:39,000 The enormity of this visual stimulus 178 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:39,666 direct 179 00:06:39,666 --> 00:06:42,100 Violently activates the awe response 180 00:06:42,100 --> 00:06:44,800 And the core neural mechanism of the awe response is 181 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:47,666 Default mode network, not active 182 00:06:47,766 --> 00:06:49,600 It's a temporary dissolution of our sense of self. 183 00:06:49,933 --> 00:06:53,766 That my world that your brain has spent decades painstakingly constructing 184 00:06:53,966 --> 00:06:54,800 My Country 185 00:06:54,833 --> 00:06:55,766 My City 186 00:06:55,766 --> 00:06:56,666 My House 187 00:06:56,666 --> 00:06:57,933 My bank account. 188 00:06:57,966 --> 00:06:59,233 My social circle 189 00:06:59,233 --> 00:07:03,033 Suddenly it's visually compressed into a box without any boundary markers. 190 00:07:03,033 --> 00:07:04,400 The blue ball 191 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:09,333 Your brain can't find any anchor points to maintain those fine distinctions 192 00:07:09,366 --> 00:07:11,433 Where is America? Where is China? 193 00:07:11,466 --> 00:07:14,166 Where are the rich and where are the slums 194 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:16,900 Those categories simply don't exist in that perspective. 195 00:07:17,200 --> 00:07:20,300 Do you know what this means in the context of predictive coding? 196 00:07:20,366 --> 00:07:23,233 It's a higher-level prior belief in the brain. 197 00:07:23,233 --> 00:07:24,966 Those about who I am 198 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:26,533 How the world is divided 199 00:07:26,533 --> 00:07:29,833 Deep-seated assumptions about what matters and what doesn't 200 00:07:29,833 --> 00:07:33,166 All of a sudden, a huge prediction error signal hits. 201 00:07:33,533 --> 00:07:37,533 What your brain predicts about the world and what you actually see in front of you 202 00:07:37,533 --> 00:07:38,166 between 203 00:07:38,366 --> 00:07:39,866 And there's a big gap. 204 00:07:40,766 --> 00:07:42,933 You have national boundaries in your prediction model. 205 00:07:42,966 --> 00:07:45,300 But your eyes tell you there's nothing there 206 00:07:45,700 --> 00:07:48,533 Your prediction model has a distinction between mine and yours 207 00:07:48,533 --> 00:07:50,766 But your eyes tell you it's just the whole 208 00:07:52,266 --> 00:07:54,966 The brain faces such huge prediction errors 209 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:55,900 You have two choices. 210 00:07:56,133 --> 00:07:58,366 The first is to insist on a priori 211 00:07:58,366 --> 00:07:59,966 Reduce the error signal 212 00:08:00,133 --> 00:08:01,600 That's just an illusion 213 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:02,700 Borders are real 214 00:08:02,933 --> 00:08:05,133 The second is the update prior 215 00:08:05,133 --> 00:08:08,200 Maybe borders are not the entities I thought they were 216 00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:10,900 Maybe the world is more integrated than my previous model. 217 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:13,366 And what's unique about space is that 218 00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:15,366 That visual stimulus is so overwhelming 219 00:08:15,366 --> 00:08:16,566 So undeniable 220 00:08:16,566 --> 00:08:17,900 So complete 221 00:08:17,933 --> 00:08:20,066 The brain's first choice doesn't work at all. 222 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:22,300 You can't deny what you saw 223 00:08:22,633 --> 00:08:25,800 Your prior beliefs were forced to undergo a massive update 224 00:08:26,133 --> 00:08:28,666 Your self-model is forced to undergo a redesign 225 00:08:29,466 --> 00:08:32,633 This is the neuroscientific mechanism of the omnibus effect. 226 00:08:32,633 --> 00:08:35,166 Through an extremely vast visual stimulus 227 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,200 Triggers a powerful awe response 228 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:40,566 Causes a sharp drop in network activity in default mode 229 00:08:40,566 --> 00:08:43,566 The prior beliefs of the self-model are greatly loosened 230 00:08:43,566 --> 00:08:46,300 Ultimately leading to a deep cognitive reconstruction 231 00:08:46,633 --> 00:08:47,600 Add a sentence 232 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:50,333 A 100 percent Pure Land Buddhist 233 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:52,633 When I saw the statue of Amitabha Buddha 234 00:08:52,900 --> 00:08:54,066 There is also this sense of awe 235 00:08:54,633 --> 00:08:56,200 Therefore, the faith and vows of the Pure Land Sect are fulfilled 236 00:08:56,533 --> 00:08:57,100 Put the letter 237 00:08:57,333 --> 00:08:58,066 Put it first 238 00:08:58,366 --> 00:09:00,400 Because of this deep-seated belief 239 00:09:00,700 --> 00:09:02,033 It gives you a sense of awe. 240 00:09:02,366 --> 00:09:03,266 And awe 241 00:09:03,266 --> 00:09:04,366 It helps you become enlightened. 242 00:09:04,533 --> 00:09:06,033 Back to Space Overview Effect 243 00:09:06,666 --> 00:09:08,966 There's a deeper question here that's worth asking. 244 00:09:09,966 --> 00:09:12,866 Why seeing the whole can lead to self-shrinking 245 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:13,800 Think about it. 246 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:15,533 In your daily life 247 00:09:15,566 --> 00:09:18,233 What has the default mode network been doing? 248 00:09:18,433 --> 00:09:20,033 It's maintaining a narrative. 249 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:21,200 I am the protagonist 250 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:22,033 The world is the background 251 00:09:22,333 --> 00:09:24,133 You are in your own life story 252 00:09:24,133 --> 00:09:25,433 Always be the central figure 253 00:09:25,666 --> 00:09:29,633 Your brain's predictive model organizes everything based on you. 254 00:09:30,366 --> 00:09:31,233 Near important 255 00:09:31,266 --> 00:09:32,700 Far away doesn't matter 256 00:09:32,700 --> 00:09:34,033 Important to me 257 00:09:34,066 --> 00:09:35,166 It's not about me 258 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,300 The whole cognitive architecture is egocentric. 259 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:40,933 But when you look at the Earth from space 260 00:09:40,933 --> 00:09:42,133 The architecture is broken. 261 00:09:42,866 --> 00:09:44,433 Because from that perspective 262 00:09:44,433 --> 00:09:45,533 You can't find yourself. 263 00:09:46,066 --> 00:09:47,933 You know you're on the space station 264 00:09:47,933 --> 00:09:50,866 Do you know where your home is on earth? 265 00:09:50,900 --> 00:09:52,933 But you're not in the picture you see 266 00:09:52,933 --> 00:09:54,366 Only one complete 267 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:55,466 without a center 268 00:09:55,500 --> 00:09:56,300 Uniform whole 269 00:09:56,433 --> 00:09:59,966 Your brain is forced to switch from a first-person perspective to a God perspective 270 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:03,000 And one of the fundamental characteristics of God's perspective is that 271 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:03,666 No protagonist 272 00:10:04,033 --> 00:10:07,033 When there is no protagonist this information is processed by your brain 273 00:10:07,266 --> 00:10:11,000 The default mode is the I am the center of the world narrative maintained by the network 274 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:12,500 Temporarily lost support 275 00:10:13,333 --> 00:10:16,933 This is why astronauts repeatedly use Sense of Unity 276 00:10:16,966 --> 00:10:17,733 Unity 277 00:10:17,733 --> 00:10:19,566 Boundaries disappear these words 278 00:10:19,566 --> 00:10:22,000 It's not because they become mystic. 279 00:10:22,033 --> 00:10:26,333 It's because their brain experiences a physical self-model. 280 00:10:26,333 --> 00:10:27,366 The process of deactivation 281 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:28,266 OK 282 00:10:28,266 --> 00:10:29,600 If you follow me here 283 00:10:29,966 --> 00:10:32,466 You should have discovered an extremely important fact 284 00:10:32,733 --> 00:10:35,400 This default mode network deactivation 285 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:36,966 Loose self-model 286 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:39,833 Neural mechanisms that produce a sense of unity and oneness 287 00:10:39,833 --> 00:10:41,133 We've met somewhere else 288 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:43,400 We talked about it in the meditation issue 289 00:10:43,433 --> 00:10:46,000 One of the core neural characteristics of deep meditation 290 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:48,200 That's the default mode, a decline in network activity. 291 00:10:49,033 --> 00:10:52,800 Functional magnetic resonance imaging scans of long-term meditators reveal 292 00:10:52,833 --> 00:10:56,766 Their posterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex 293 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:59,566 Default mode The two most important nodes of the network 294 00:10:59,566 --> 00:11:00,800 Activity is significantly reduced 295 00:11:00,900 --> 00:11:03,800 What were the subjective experiences they reported? 296 00:11:04,033 --> 00:11:05,666 Ego ablation 297 00:11:05,666 --> 00:11:07,100 A Sense of Oneness 298 00:11:07,400 --> 00:11:08,266 Borders disappear 299 00:11:08,266 --> 00:11:09,300 Did you find it? 300 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:14,700 Neurologically, the overview effect and deep meditation point to the same thing. 301 00:11:14,700 --> 00:11:17,066 Default mode network deactivation 302 00:11:17,100 --> 00:11:18,800 Temporary dissolution of the self-model 303 00:11:18,866 --> 00:11:19,633 Certainly. 304 00:11:19,700 --> 00:11:23,633 There's a big difference between the depth and the duration of these experiences. 305 00:11:23,633 --> 00:11:26,900 Let's just say that they have core neural mechanisms in common. 306 00:11:27,533 --> 00:11:30,266 They're just different paths to the same destination. 307 00:11:30,300 --> 00:11:33,833 Astronauts use an extremely large external visual stimulus 308 00:11:34,033 --> 00:11:36,700 Meditators use continuous internal attention training 309 00:11:37,266 --> 00:11:40,700 But the core neurological event they trigger is the same 310 00:11:40,700 --> 00:11:44,533 The one who nagged me, my consciousness was temporarily quiet 311 00:11:44,533 --> 00:11:45,933 The primordial spirit emerged 312 00:11:45,966 --> 00:11:47,866 So you see something bigger. 313 00:11:48,433 --> 00:11:49,833 I was extremely excited about this. 314 00:11:50,166 --> 00:11:52,533 Because it suggests a deeper conclusion 315 00:11:52,566 --> 00:11:54,133 The experience of enlightenment. 316 00:11:54,133 --> 00:11:55,166 Mystery Experience 317 00:11:55,166 --> 00:11:55,966 Oneness 318 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:58,366 It may not be some kind of paranormal phenomenon 319 00:11:58,366 --> 00:12:00,400 It's not a cultural construct. 320 00:12:00,433 --> 00:12:03,633 It's a specific neural state of the human brain. 321 00:12:03,633 --> 00:12:06,733 One of the default modes, a dramatic decrease in network activity. 322 00:12:06,733 --> 00:12:07,633 self-model 323 00:12:07,633 --> 00:12:09,933 Or the end of consciousness-only learning 324 00:12:09,966 --> 00:12:11,066 The state of temporary deconstruction 325 00:12:11,066 --> 00:12:14,466 Different cultural traditions describe it in different languages 326 00:12:14,466 --> 00:12:15,700 Buddhism is called Selflessness 327 00:12:15,733 --> 00:12:17,700 In Hinduism, it's called Brahman-Self Unity. 328 00:12:18,033 --> 00:12:20,833 Christian mysticism is called unity with God 329 00:12:20,833 --> 00:12:22,266 Astronauts call it the Overview Effect. 330 00:12:22,700 --> 00:12:25,000 But the underlying neurological event could be the same 331 00:12:25,266 --> 00:12:26,466 But here it is. 332 00:12:26,500 --> 00:12:28,300 I know you must have a question on your mind 333 00:12:29,166 --> 00:12:30,733 Because if I were you 334 00:12:30,933 --> 00:12:31,733 I would ask the same 335 00:12:32,266 --> 00:12:33,300 I'm on TV. 336 00:12:33,433 --> 00:12:36,700 I have also seen countless shots of the earth from space on the video website. 337 00:12:37,733 --> 00:12:39,566 The photo of the blue marble. 338 00:12:39,566 --> 00:12:40,600 I've seen it hundreds of times 339 00:12:40,933 --> 00:12:41,666 documentary 340 00:12:41,666 --> 00:12:42,866 Live, 4K 341 00:12:42,866 --> 00:12:43,600 Ultra high definition 342 00:12:43,633 --> 00:12:44,866 Even VR headsets 343 00:12:45,166 --> 00:12:45,866 Seen everything 344 00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:48,933 Why should I swipe my phone after reading it? 345 00:12:48,966 --> 00:12:50,366 Time to order takeout 346 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:52,366 There is no shadow of the overall effect at all 347 00:12:52,533 --> 00:12:54,966 Why do astronauts become enlightened at a glance? 348 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:57,633 I've watched it a hundred times, it's the same as never watching it 349 00:12:57,733 --> 00:12:59,166 That's a great question. 350 00:12:59,166 --> 00:13:02,366 Because it directly points to an extreme in predictive coding theory 351 00:13:02,366 --> 00:13:03,866 Key concepts 352 00:13:03,900 --> 00:13:04,633 precision weight 353 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:06,200 Remember that? 354 00:13:06,433 --> 00:13:08,266 In the framework of predictive coding 355 00:13:08,266 --> 00:13:10,466 The brain doesn't process information equally. 356 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:12,900 Every sensory signal comes in 357 00:13:12,900 --> 00:13:15,833 The brain assigns a precision weight to it 358 00:13:15,833 --> 00:13:17,666 You can think of it as a credibility score 359 00:13:18,300 --> 00:13:19,866 High-weight signal 360 00:13:19,866 --> 00:13:21,200 The brain takes it seriously 361 00:13:21,233 --> 00:13:24,566 Allow it to shock and renew prior beliefs 362 00:13:24,566 --> 00:13:25,933 Low weight signal 363 00:13:25,966 --> 00:13:27,433 The brain just ignores 364 00:13:27,433 --> 00:13:28,933 Transcendental beliefs don't budge. 365 00:13:29,266 --> 00:13:31,600 When you were watching a documentary on the couch 366 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:35,400 What precision weight does your brain assign to that image? 367 00:13:35,566 --> 00:13:36,033 Very low. 368 00:13:36,733 --> 00:13:39,366 Because your brain knows exactly what that is. 369 00:13:39,366 --> 00:13:40,866 That's a pixel on a screen. 370 00:13:41,533 --> 00:13:43,133 Your body is on the sofa 371 00:13:43,166 --> 00:13:45,000 Your feet are on the floor 372 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:46,700 Your coffee is handy. 373 00:13:46,700 --> 00:13:48,233 Your phone vibrates in your pocket 374 00:13:48,566 --> 00:13:52,300 Your entire sensory system is telling the brain the same thing 375 00:13:52,333 --> 00:13:53,166 You are in the living room 376 00:13:53,666 --> 00:13:54,533 This is a video. 377 00:13:55,033 --> 00:13:58,433 Your brain has absolutely no reason to think that picture will affect your life 378 00:13:58,500 --> 00:13:59,833 Has any meaning 379 00:13:59,833 --> 00:14:03,800 So it weights the precision of that visual signal almost negligibly. 380 00:14:04,566 --> 00:14:05,566 What happened? 381 00:14:05,966 --> 00:14:07,866 You look at that blue marble 382 00:14:07,900 --> 00:14:09,366 You think it's beautiful. 383 00:14:09,366 --> 00:14:12,700 Then the default mode network continues to operate at full speed 384 00:14:12,700 --> 00:14:15,466 So you're watching and you're wondering what's for dinner? 385 00:14:15,500 --> 00:14:17,433 What to prepare for the meeting tomorrow? 386 00:14:17,466 --> 00:14:19,333 Did anyone like the Moments sent last time? 387 00:14:19,700 --> 00:14:23,833 I was sitting on my couch watching a video of the Earth, my self-model. 388 00:14:24,066 --> 00:14:25,666 Stay where you are completely. 389 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:26,966 Didn't move a millimeter 390 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:29,833 The impact of that visual information 391 00:14:29,866 --> 00:14:31,966 Can't even touch the threshold of your transcendental beliefs 392 00:14:32,333 --> 00:14:34,133 But things are completely different in space 393 00:14:34,566 --> 00:14:35,233 So let's start with this. 394 00:14:35,700 --> 00:14:37,666 You're floating in zero gravity. 395 00:14:38,166 --> 00:14:40,066 I can't emphasize this enough. 396 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:41,633 Your vestibular system 397 00:14:41,633 --> 00:14:45,533 It's the balance and spatial orientation system in your inner ear. 398 00:14:45,533 --> 00:14:49,466 Is continuously sending a signal that it has never sent since birth 399 00:14:49,500 --> 00:14:50,333 Gravity is gone 400 00:14:50,566 --> 00:14:54,833 Your brain has accumulated decades of prior models of up, down, left, right. 401 00:14:54,833 --> 00:14:56,000 Suddenly all fail 402 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:56,766 That alone 403 00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:59,733 It has already pushed your brain to a high level of alertness 404 00:14:59,766 --> 00:15:01,500 Highly open state 405 00:15:01,500 --> 00:15:05,333 Because the brain is in an environment where the prior model fails on a large scale 406 00:15:05,366 --> 00:15:08,233 Will automatically increase the accuracy weight of all sensory signals 407 00:15:09,633 --> 00:15:10,900 It's talking like crazy. 408 00:15:10,933 --> 00:15:13,033 I don't know what the rules are here. 409 00:15:13,033 --> 00:15:15,366 I need to take every piece of information that comes in seriously. 410 00:15:15,700 --> 00:15:16,500 And then... 411 00:15:16,533 --> 00:15:18,533 You float up to the dome window. 412 00:15:18,766 --> 00:15:20,633 What you see are not pixels on the screen. 413 00:15:20,966 --> 00:15:23,033 What you see is the real earth 414 00:15:23,066 --> 00:15:24,100 Just outside the window. 415 00:15:24,333 --> 00:15:26,300 And there's a vacuum outside the window. 416 00:15:26,300 --> 00:15:29,633 You know that glass is the only barrier between you and death 417 00:15:30,433 --> 00:15:34,133 The precision weight your brain assigns to this visual signal 418 00:15:34,166 --> 00:15:34,766 Fill it up directly. 419 00:15:34,966 --> 00:15:36,700 Because this is not a video. 420 00:15:36,700 --> 00:15:39,100 This is first-hand sensory data for survival. 421 00:15:39,366 --> 00:15:42,766 All your senses are confirming the same thing at the same time 422 00:15:42,766 --> 00:15:43,600 Are you really here? 423 00:15:44,866 --> 00:15:47,366 That blue thing is really your whole world 424 00:15:48,133 --> 00:15:49,300 And here's the thing. 425 00:15:49,300 --> 00:15:53,000 There's nothing in space competing with this visual signal. 426 00:15:53,333 --> 00:15:54,900 No phone vibration 427 00:15:54,900 --> 00:15:56,900 No delivery guy knocking on the door 428 00:15:56,933 --> 00:15:58,266 No background music 429 00:15:58,266 --> 00:16:01,700 Without the soft touch of a sofa to remind you that you are at home 430 00:16:01,833 --> 00:16:05,300 Your sensory pathways are almost entirely occupied by this one stimulus. 431 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:08,466 This is called sensory channel monopolization in the science of attention. 432 00:16:09,166 --> 00:16:13,066 When a stimulus monopolizes almost all of your perceived bandwidth 433 00:16:13,100 --> 00:16:16,133 It's hard to keep the network running in default mode 434 00:16:16,133 --> 00:16:18,766 Because cognitive resources have been almost completely drained 435 00:16:19,766 --> 00:16:20,600 So 436 00:16:20,633 --> 00:16:22,400 You see the Earth. 437 00:16:22,433 --> 00:16:25,100 Watching on TV and watching in space 438 00:16:25,100 --> 00:16:28,233 They're really different inputs to the brain. 439 00:16:28,500 --> 00:16:30,566 One is low-precision weighting 440 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:32,366 Competing with other signals 441 00:16:32,366 --> 00:16:35,766 The picture wrapped in the frame of this is just a video 442 00:16:35,766 --> 00:16:38,033 It can't even knock on the door of a priori belief 443 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:40,800 The other is the highest precision weight 444 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:42,233 Total Sensory Immersion 445 00:16:42,266 --> 00:16:43,766 You are really here 446 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:48,100 Outside the window is the first-hand experience of the blessing of the existential crisis of death 447 00:16:48,100 --> 00:16:52,000 It went straight through the walls of a priori belief like a cannonball 448 00:16:52,033 --> 00:16:56,300 This also explains why the overall effect of VR simulations is effective, but 449 00:16:56,500 --> 00:16:58,100 Far less than a real space experience 450 00:16:58,900 --> 00:17:00,566 VR is better than TV 451 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:03,166 Because it occupies more sensory channels 452 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:05,266 It creates a greater sense of immersion. 453 00:17:05,266 --> 00:17:07,766 The brain gives it a higher weight of accuracy than television 454 00:17:07,933 --> 00:17:09,933 But VR is not real after all 455 00:17:09,933 --> 00:17:12,900 Your vestibular system knows you're still on Earth 456 00:17:12,933 --> 00:17:15,100 Your body knows you're not weightless. 457 00:17:15,100 --> 00:17:18,233 Your survival instinct knows you're not at the edge of a vacuum 458 00:17:18,700 --> 00:17:21,600 So VR has a higher precision weight than TV 459 00:17:21,633 --> 00:17:23,066 But much lower than real space 460 00:17:23,466 --> 00:17:26,133 It can trigger certain components of the overview effect 461 00:17:26,166 --> 00:17:28,166 But it can't trigger the complete one. 462 00:17:28,166 --> 00:17:29,633 Explosive cognitive reconstruction 463 00:17:30,633 --> 00:17:32,066 Let's use an analogy. 464 00:17:32,066 --> 00:17:33,700 Watching the earth on TV 465 00:17:33,733 --> 00:17:36,633 It's like someone describing a dish to you that you haven't eaten yet. 466 00:17:36,666 --> 00:17:38,566 You intellectually know it's delicious 467 00:17:38,733 --> 00:17:39,933 But you don't drool. 468 00:17:40,500 --> 00:17:42,700 And the VR sort of smelled that. 469 00:17:43,133 --> 00:17:44,166 Feel a little bit 470 00:17:44,166 --> 00:17:45,333 But it's not even close. 471 00:17:45,333 --> 00:17:46,933 Really seeing the earth from space 472 00:17:47,233 --> 00:17:49,366 It's the moment you put that dish in your mouth 473 00:17:49,866 --> 00:17:51,933 All the senses erupt at the same time 474 00:17:51,933 --> 00:17:54,733 Your whole body is involved in the experience 475 00:17:54,766 --> 00:17:58,000 The brain's predictive models have been forced to undergo a comprehensive update 476 00:17:58,900 --> 00:18:03,400 And that's why the overview effect isn't something you just see information trigger. 477 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:05,166 It's about devotion. 478 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:06,733 High precision weighted ground 479 00:18:06,733 --> 00:18:09,900 And it's only on the existential level that it can be triggered by experiencing that information. 480 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:13,566 This is why pure intellectual understanding 481 00:18:13,566 --> 00:18:15,200 You know the earth is round 482 00:18:15,233 --> 00:18:16,666 Space is big, you know. 483 00:18:16,700 --> 00:18:18,900 You know that borders are man-made lines. 484 00:18:18,933 --> 00:18:20,833 It can never replace the experience itself 485 00:18:21,166 --> 00:18:25,400 Your brain only counts by high-precision first-hand senses in transcendental beliefs 486 00:18:25,433 --> 00:18:26,666 According to the breakdown 487 00:18:26,666 --> 00:18:27,900 Will be really updated 488 00:18:28,033 --> 00:18:30,366 The gap between knowing and experiencing 489 00:18:30,366 --> 00:18:32,300 And that's the accuracy and weight gap. 490 00:18:32,433 --> 00:18:32,700 OK 491 00:18:32,733 --> 00:18:34,233 After figuring this out 492 00:18:34,233 --> 00:18:35,800 Let's look at another question 493 00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:37,533 If the overall effect 494 00:18:37,566 --> 00:18:38,366 meditation 495 00:18:38,366 --> 00:18:41,533 LSD triggers the same neural state 496 00:18:41,566 --> 00:18:44,566 Why does the overall effect seem to be particularly persistent? 497 00:18:44,733 --> 00:18:47,866 A lot of what the astronauts described was not a fleeting experience. 498 00:18:47,866 --> 00:18:50,200 It's a permanent cognitive shift. 499 00:18:50,233 --> 00:18:52,100 After they return to earth 500 00:18:52,100 --> 00:18:53,933 The way I see the world is never going back 501 00:18:54,466 --> 00:18:57,800 Meditation requires continuous practice to maintain its effectiveness 502 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:01,466 Psychedelic experiences often subside after the drug is metabolized 503 00:19:01,500 --> 00:19:04,733 But the overall effect seems to have some kind of once-and-forever quality. 504 00:19:04,966 --> 00:19:06,266 Why is that? 505 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:07,400 So here's my guess. 506 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:10,766 The reason why the overall effect is particularly strong 507 00:19:10,766 --> 00:19:11,866 Extremely persistent 508 00:19:11,866 --> 00:19:14,466 It's because it cuts through both sides of perception. 509 00:19:15,166 --> 00:19:17,400 The first level is the emotional level 510 00:19:17,433 --> 00:19:18,266 Awe 511 00:19:18,266 --> 00:19:19,133 shock 512 00:19:19,133 --> 00:19:19,933 vulnerability 513 00:19:20,100 --> 00:19:23,633 These strong emotions create a huge coding window 514 00:19:23,633 --> 00:19:26,600 Let this experience be deeply ingrained in the long-term memory 515 00:19:26,766 --> 00:19:30,566 Just as you will always remember each of the extreme emotional moments of your life 516 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:31,600 a detail 517 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,933 The overview effect creates a similar flash memory. 518 00:19:35,133 --> 00:19:36,833 The second level is more important 519 00:19:36,833 --> 00:19:37,966 It's cognitive. 520 00:19:38,700 --> 00:19:41,800 The Overview Effect is not a vague mystical experience 521 00:19:41,800 --> 00:19:43,600 It provides a specific 522 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:44,400 clear 523 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:48,200 Cognitive anchors that can be invoked repeatedly in everyday life 524 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:49,766 The picture of the blue marble 525 00:19:50,133 --> 00:19:52,633 Every time you see a border dispute in the future 526 00:19:52,633 --> 00:19:53,666 ethnic conflict 527 00:19:53,700 --> 00:19:55,333 Resource grab news 528 00:19:55,366 --> 00:19:58,266 Your brain can instantly access that image. 529 00:19:58,266 --> 00:19:59,300 From space 530 00:19:59,300 --> 00:20:00,400 There are no wires there 531 00:20:00,633 --> 00:20:03,166 This cognitive anchor constantly reminds you 532 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:06,833 Those assumptions about boundaries and separations in your prior beliefs 533 00:20:06,866 --> 00:20:08,300 It may not be the ultimate truth 534 00:20:08,833 --> 00:20:12,466 Meditation and psychedelic experiences can hardly provide such a concrete visual anchor 535 00:20:13,333 --> 00:20:16,100 They provide more of an indescribable feeling 536 00:20:16,666 --> 00:20:19,900 What the overview effect provides is a hologram. 537 00:20:19,933 --> 00:20:21,333 You saw it with your own eyes 538 00:20:21,333 --> 00:20:22,633 undeniable 539 00:20:22,633 --> 00:20:24,466 Imprinted in your visual memory 540 00:20:24,633 --> 00:20:26,833 That's why its effects last longer 541 00:20:27,266 --> 00:20:28,233 So much for that. 542 00:20:28,233 --> 00:20:30,233 I want to raise the perspective one more level 543 00:20:31,066 --> 00:20:34,800 Frank Wright, in his work on the overview effect, pointed out that 544 00:20:34,833 --> 00:20:35,833 Very important distinction 545 00:20:36,233 --> 00:20:37,733 In low Earth orbit 546 00:20:37,733 --> 00:20:40,466 The Earth takes up most of your field of vision 547 00:20:40,466 --> 00:20:42,966 What you see here is a big blue sphere. 548 00:20:43,066 --> 00:20:44,366 But on the moon 549 00:20:44,366 --> 00:20:45,966 It's completely different. 550 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:48,166 You're looking at the whole planet. 551 00:20:48,166 --> 00:20:50,466 Hovering in the dark background of the universe 552 00:20:50,500 --> 00:20:51,466 And it's small. 553 00:20:51,533 --> 00:20:53,933 The experience reported by the Apollo astronauts 554 00:20:53,966 --> 00:20:56,700 More extreme than space station astronauts 555 00:20:56,700 --> 00:20:57,733 It's transformative. 556 00:20:57,833 --> 00:21:00,533 Because it's bigger. 557 00:21:00,533 --> 00:21:01,733 Not as big as the earth 558 00:21:01,766 --> 00:21:03,266 The Earth is small. 559 00:21:03,266 --> 00:21:04,200 And I was even younger 560 00:21:05,433 --> 00:21:07,400 And this leads me to an interesting counterpart. 561 00:21:08,133 --> 00:21:11,066 Psychologists' research on the experience of awe has found 562 00:21:11,100 --> 00:21:14,333 The two central characteristics of awe are the perception of vastness. 563 00:21:14,333 --> 00:21:15,433 And the need for cognitive adjustment 564 00:21:15,733 --> 00:21:17,400 What it means to feel vast is 565 00:21:17,433 --> 00:21:20,500 You encounter something that goes far beyond your current frame of reference 566 00:21:20,766 --> 00:21:22,800 Cognitive adjustment is required. 567 00:21:22,833 --> 00:21:25,700 Your current mental schema can't hold this thing 568 00:21:25,733 --> 00:21:26,733 Must be updated 569 00:21:26,733 --> 00:21:31,066 And these two features are simultaneously pushed to the extreme from a space perspective 570 00:21:31,133 --> 00:21:32,700 The earth as a whole 571 00:21:32,700 --> 00:21:34,700 It represents the entirety of your experience. 572 00:21:34,733 --> 00:21:35,966 All memory 573 00:21:35,966 --> 00:21:37,466 All social relations 574 00:21:37,466 --> 00:21:39,300 Shrunk into a small blue dot 575 00:21:39,300 --> 00:21:41,166 Floating in the void with no end in sight 576 00:21:42,166 --> 00:21:44,466 Your frame of reference has not been broadened 577 00:21:44,500 --> 00:21:45,433 It blew up. 578 00:21:46,066 --> 00:21:48,233 All your past mental schemas 579 00:21:48,233 --> 00:21:49,200 About the country 580 00:21:49,233 --> 00:21:50,300 About identity 581 00:21:50,300 --> 00:21:52,266 About important and unimportant 582 00:21:52,266 --> 00:21:53,266 All need to be rebuilt 583 00:21:53,933 --> 00:21:57,066 That's why astronauts are getting more emotional. 584 00:21:57,066 --> 00:21:58,400 It's a cognitive reconfiguration. 585 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:00,033 It's not about mood swings. 586 00:22:00,033 --> 00:22:02,033 It is an update at the operating system level. 587 00:22:02,166 --> 00:22:02,700 OK 588 00:22:02,733 --> 00:22:05,800 Now let me go back to the most crucial question at the beginning 589 00:22:06,166 --> 00:22:07,233 This experience 590 00:22:07,266 --> 00:22:08,600 Don't go to space 591 00:22:08,633 --> 00:22:09,700 Can it be reproduced? 592 00:22:10,300 --> 00:22:12,000 From a neuroscientific perspective 593 00:22:12,033 --> 00:22:13,666 The answer is likely to be 594 00:22:13,666 --> 00:22:13,933 OK 595 00:22:14,133 --> 00:22:17,666 Because the core mechanism is not the physical condition in space 596 00:22:18,100 --> 00:22:22,433 Instead, the default mode network deactivation plus self-model loosening this 597 00:22:22,433 --> 00:22:23,233 neural state 598 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:25,700 Space is just one way of getting there. 599 00:22:26,133 --> 00:22:27,833 Possibly the most violent 600 00:22:27,833 --> 00:22:28,566 trigger method 601 00:22:29,100 --> 00:22:30,300 But there are other paths. 602 00:22:30,733 --> 00:22:31,866 Meditation is a path 603 00:22:32,866 --> 00:22:36,600 Especially those forms of meditation that are centered on open awareness 604 00:22:36,933 --> 00:22:39,166 Such as Zen meditation 605 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:41,233 Vipassana of Southern Buddhism 606 00:22:41,266 --> 00:22:43,433 Mahamudra and Dzogchen in Tibetan Buddhism 607 00:22:43,633 --> 00:22:45,533 What these methods have in common is that 608 00:22:45,566 --> 00:22:47,133 You can't control your thoughts. 609 00:22:47,133 --> 00:22:49,133 It's about getting away from thought. 610 00:22:49,433 --> 00:22:52,233 Let the default mode network activity naturally decrease 611 00:22:52,233 --> 00:22:53,566 Research shows that 612 00:22:53,566 --> 00:22:58,000 The default mode of long-term meditators has significantly reduced network connectivity 613 00:22:58,133 --> 00:23:00,566 They're more susceptible to self-shrinking. 614 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:04,200 The experience of awe in the natural environment is another path. 615 00:23:05,100 --> 00:23:07,033 Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon 616 00:23:07,066 --> 00:23:10,400 Looking up at the Milky Way at night away from light pollution 617 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:12,366 Watch the waves crashing against the cliffs 618 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:17,000 These experiences all trigger awe reactions and default modes to some extent 619 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:18,433 Temporary deactivation of the network 620 00:23:18,966 --> 00:23:21,200 The effect is not as extreme as space 621 00:23:21,233 --> 00:23:22,566 But the direction is the same 622 00:23:22,833 --> 00:23:25,166 VR technology is opening up a third path 623 00:23:25,566 --> 00:23:29,800 One study used virtual reality to simulate the experience of looking at Earth from space 624 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:32,366 Participants' brain activity was recorded using an electroencephalogram 625 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:35,400 It was found that at the crucial moment of simulating the overview effect 626 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,633 The power of the beta and gamma brainwave bands has dropped 627 00:23:38,666 --> 00:23:41,600 This means that habitual mental structures are temporarily disrupted 628 00:23:42,500 --> 00:23:46,366 Although the effect of VR is not as good as the real space experience 629 00:23:46,366 --> 00:23:49,500 But it did induce similar cognitive shifts in the lab. 630 00:23:49,733 --> 00:23:52,800 These different paths all lead to the same conclusion 631 00:23:52,833 --> 00:23:55,566 The essence of the overview effect is not in space 632 00:23:55,566 --> 00:23:56,700 It's seeing the whole. 633 00:23:56,933 --> 00:23:58,533 Or to be more precise 634 00:23:58,566 --> 00:24:02,733 It's the one where your brain is forced to switch from a local perspective to a global perspective. 635 00:24:02,733 --> 00:24:03,766 cognitive transition process 636 00:24:03,900 --> 00:24:06,400 And that led me to a deeper question. 637 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:09,133 I haven't thought about this clearly yet. 638 00:24:09,233 --> 00:24:10,866 But I think it's worth mentioning. 639 00:24:10,966 --> 00:24:15,033 Why does our brain operate in partial viewing mode by default? 640 00:24:15,166 --> 00:24:16,033 Think about it. 641 00:24:16,066 --> 00:24:17,733 What does the default mode network do? 642 00:24:17,866 --> 00:24:18,966 It's building me. 643 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:20,700 A person separated from the world 644 00:24:20,700 --> 00:24:21,533 bordered 645 00:24:21,533 --> 00:24:23,033 Individuals with interests 646 00:24:23,866 --> 00:24:27,200 It splits a continuous stream of experience into my experience and non-my experience 647 00:24:27,666 --> 00:24:30,866 It draws countless lines in a world without natural boundaries 648 00:24:31,633 --> 00:24:33,000 From an evolutionary perspective 649 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:34,333 It's certainly useful. 650 00:24:34,933 --> 00:24:38,433 A primitive person without self-boundaries does not protect himself 651 00:24:38,433 --> 00:24:40,000 They're not going for resources. 652 00:24:40,033 --> 00:24:41,466 They're not going to reproduce. 653 00:24:41,833 --> 00:24:45,633 Default schema networks and self-models are survival tools that evolution has given us. 654 00:24:45,933 --> 00:24:47,000 But here's the thing. 655 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:48,300 This tool comes at a cost. 656 00:24:48,533 --> 00:24:51,966 It allows you to cut a whole world into pieces 657 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,433 And clinging to the boundaries between the fragments 658 00:24:54,466 --> 00:24:56,166 And worrying about those boundaries 659 00:24:56,166 --> 00:24:56,733 fight 660 00:24:56,766 --> 00:24:57,133 suffer 661 00:24:57,266 --> 00:25:00,866 From wars between nations to intrigue between colleagues 662 00:25:00,900 --> 00:25:04,133 To your own self-criticism that I'm not good enough 663 00:25:04,133 --> 00:25:06,000 The root cause of all this pain 664 00:25:06,033 --> 00:25:10,066 All the way back to the default model, the disconnected self of which the network is constructed. 665 00:25:10,966 --> 00:25:12,900 What the overarching effect does 666 00:25:12,933 --> 00:25:14,266 What meditation does 667 00:25:14,300 --> 00:25:16,133 What psychedelic experiences do 668 00:25:16,133 --> 00:25:18,466 Is to temporarily close the splitter. 669 00:25:18,466 --> 00:25:20,633 Let you see the whole before the division 670 00:25:20,733 --> 00:25:23,800 Does this sound a lot like what the Buddha said about selflessness? 671 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,133 It's like what I said about returning to Park 672 00:25:26,366 --> 00:25:30,533 Much like we talked about in the Spectrum of Consciousness, going back to the unity of subject and object 673 00:25:30,700 --> 00:25:32,200 I don't think it's a coincidence 674 00:25:32,733 --> 00:25:36,500 If those frameworks we've built on this channel before are right 675 00:25:36,500 --> 00:25:38,200 Consciousness is a spectrum of light. 676 00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:41,066 From deep unity to surface separation 677 00:25:41,100 --> 00:25:43,800 So the aggregate effect is a very powerful piece of evidence. 678 00:25:43,966 --> 00:25:46,866 It shows that the human brain under certain conditions 679 00:25:46,866 --> 00:25:49,333 You can actually see that deeper wholeness. 680 00:25:49,933 --> 00:25:51,000 It doesn't take faith. 681 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:52,100 No need for doctrine 682 00:25:52,133 --> 00:25:53,666 No cultural prerequisites are required 683 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:55,033 You just need 684 00:25:55,033 --> 00:25:56,233 In space 685 00:25:56,266 --> 00:25:57,833 In weightlessness 686 00:25:57,833 --> 00:25:59,566 See the tiny blue home 687 00:26:00,633 --> 00:26:03,066 Astronauts didn't become philosophers. 688 00:26:03,100 --> 00:26:06,900 They were pushed up the spectrum of consciousness by a visual stimulus, one that came before them. 689 00:26:06,900 --> 00:26:08,000 Never been there before 690 00:26:08,566 --> 00:26:09,933 In that position 691 00:26:09,933 --> 00:26:12,066 Default mode network is quiet 692 00:26:12,066 --> 00:26:13,533 The self-model is loose. 693 00:26:13,533 --> 00:26:15,333 So they experienced it for the first time 694 00:26:15,333 --> 00:26:17,900 It turns out that separation is not the only way to perceive 695 00:26:17,900 --> 00:26:19,666 Unity is also a reality 696 00:26:19,666 --> 00:26:20,733 repeatable 697 00:26:20,866 --> 00:26:22,466 Neural-based states of consciousness 698 00:26:22,666 --> 00:26:26,000 And this brings up a question that I think is really worth thinking about. 699 00:26:26,166 --> 00:26:27,566 Our entire civilization 700 00:26:27,566 --> 00:26:29,000 Our political system 701 00:26:29,033 --> 00:26:30,166 economic system 702 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:31,400 international relations 703 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:33,433 Are based on the perception of separation 704 00:26:33,766 --> 00:26:35,666 I am Chinese and you are American 705 00:26:35,700 --> 00:26:38,066 These are my resources; these are your resources. 706 00:26:38,066 --> 00:26:39,766 That's my interest. That's your interest. 707 00:26:40,133 --> 00:26:41,700 All these institutional arrangements 708 00:26:41,700 --> 00:26:44,133 Implicit a priori assumption 709 00:26:44,166 --> 00:26:47,966 The world is made up of separate individuals and separate groups 710 00:26:47,966 --> 00:26:50,866 And the interests of these individuals and groups are competitive. 711 00:26:51,166 --> 00:26:54,866 But what if what the astronauts saw was closer to the truth? 712 00:26:55,766 --> 00:27:00,166 If decoupling was just the default mode one made up by the network useful for survival but 713 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:01,466 What about the distorted model? 714 00:27:01,933 --> 00:27:03,666 If you look at it from a higher perspective 715 00:27:03,700 --> 00:27:05,866 They don't exist. 716 00:27:06,500 --> 00:27:08,833 I'm not saying we should abolish borders. 717 00:27:08,866 --> 00:27:09,866 That's not realistic. 718 00:27:09,866 --> 00:27:10,900 I'm talking about 719 00:27:10,900 --> 00:27:12,533 Maybe we need to realize 720 00:27:12,566 --> 00:27:14,300 Our perception of separation 721 00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:15,833 It's not an objective fact. 722 00:27:15,866 --> 00:27:19,533 It's a user interface that the brain created under certain evolutionary pressures. 723 00:27:19,833 --> 00:27:22,566 As Hoffman's interface theory tells us 724 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:24,500 Evolution doesn't give you reality. 725 00:27:24,500 --> 00:27:25,266 It's useful. 726 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:26,500 self boundary 727 00:27:26,500 --> 00:27:27,400 group boundary 728 00:27:27,433 --> 00:27:28,466 national border 729 00:27:28,533 --> 00:27:30,066 These are all useful 730 00:27:30,066 --> 00:27:31,700 But they don't have to be real. 731 00:27:32,666 --> 00:27:34,600 The true value of the overall effect 732 00:27:34,633 --> 00:27:36,700 Maybe it's not just how spectacular it is 733 00:27:36,733 --> 00:27:38,433 But it reveals one thing 734 00:27:39,100 --> 00:27:41,400 Your brain is capable of running a different pattern. 735 00:27:41,733 --> 00:27:43,200 In that mode 736 00:27:43,233 --> 00:27:44,600 The separation is gone. 737 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:45,733 Unity emerged 738 00:27:45,766 --> 00:27:48,666 And that pattern is the same as your daily separation pattern 739 00:27:48,666 --> 00:27:50,333 Has a solid neural foundation 740 00:27:50,333 --> 00:27:51,566 It's not an illusion. 741 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:53,133 Not self-deception 742 00:27:53,300 --> 00:27:54,433 Not chicken soup for the soul 743 00:27:54,900 --> 00:27:57,133 It's just another legal state of your brain. 744 00:27:57,300 --> 00:27:59,466 Carl Sagan famously said 745 00:28:00,066 --> 00:28:01,400 1990 746 00:28:01,433 --> 00:28:04,900 Voyager 1 is on its way to the edge of the solar system 747 00:28:04,900 --> 00:28:06,633 I went back and took a picture of the earth 748 00:28:07,033 --> 00:28:08,333 In that photo 749 00:28:08,366 --> 00:28:12,800 The Earth is a pale blue dot so small it's almost invisible 750 00:28:12,833 --> 00:28:14,633 Suspended in a beam of sunlight 751 00:28:14,666 --> 00:28:16,800 Sagan looked at the picture and said 752 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:18,133 Look at that little dot 753 00:28:18,166 --> 00:28:19,300 So here it is. 754 00:28:19,433 --> 00:28:20,500 That's home. 755 00:28:20,500 --> 00:28:21,200 That's Us 756 00:28:21,766 --> 00:28:23,533 Everyone you've ever loved 757 00:28:23,566 --> 00:28:25,000 Everyone you know 758 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:26,533 Everyone you've heard of 759 00:28:26,533 --> 00:28:28,700 Everyone who has ever existed 760 00:28:28,733 --> 00:28:30,100 Spent a lifetime there 761 00:28:31,233 --> 00:28:33,100 All the joy and pain 762 00:28:33,133 --> 00:28:35,466 All religions and ideologies 763 00:28:35,466 --> 00:28:37,500 All the heroes and cowards 764 00:28:37,500 --> 00:28:40,033 All civilizations are creators and destroyers 765 00:28:40,066 --> 00:28:42,100 All saints and sinners 766 00:28:42,100 --> 00:28:43,066 It's all there. 767 00:28:43,066 --> 00:28:45,533 A speck of dust suspended in the sunlight 768 00:28:45,733 --> 00:28:47,466 Sagan was not an astronaut 769 00:28:47,466 --> 00:28:48,766 He's never been to space. 770 00:28:49,166 --> 00:28:51,066 But when he looked at that photo 771 00:28:51,266 --> 00:28:54,333 He's obviously also experiencing some version of the Overview Effect 772 00:28:54,333 --> 00:28:55,766 That's why I say 773 00:28:55,766 --> 00:28:57,133 You don't need to go to space. 774 00:28:57,466 --> 00:29:00,966 What you need is a strong enough cognitive trigger 775 00:29:00,966 --> 00:29:04,466 One that will make your default mode network quiet down 776 00:29:04,733 --> 00:29:07,200 Something that temporarily loosens your self-model 777 00:29:07,333 --> 00:29:09,033 It can be a photo. 778 00:29:09,033 --> 00:29:11,033 It could be a deep meditation. 779 00:29:11,233 --> 00:29:14,700 It can be a moment looking up at the stars on a stormy night 780 00:29:14,866 --> 00:29:17,500 It can be your in-depth understanding of the video content 781 00:29:17,533 --> 00:29:21,166 Because the ultimate implication of the omnibus effect is not that the Earth is small. 782 00:29:21,166 --> 00:29:23,000 It's that your self is smaller. 783 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:25,933 And when that self is temporarily quiet 784 00:29:26,166 --> 00:29:27,600 Things you can see 785 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:28,866 Much more than you think 786 00:29:29,733 --> 00:29:33,166 But it left an open question for me to ponder. 787 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:37,866 If the general effect and deep meditation activate the same neural state 788 00:29:37,866 --> 00:29:40,933 And what is that unity that they see? 789 00:29:41,066 --> 00:29:42,800 It's a more authentic perception. 790 00:29:42,866 --> 00:29:45,833 Or is it just another controlled hallucination of the brain? 791 00:29:45,866 --> 00:29:47,933 It's just that the control method is different this time 792 00:29:48,100 --> 00:29:49,800 In Seth's framework 793 00:29:49,833 --> 00:29:52,233 Everyday consciousness is a controlled illusion 794 00:29:52,233 --> 00:29:55,133 Is that unity consciousness also an illusion? 795 00:29:55,133 --> 00:29:56,833 It's just that the control parameters are different 796 00:29:57,000 --> 00:29:57,933 Or say 797 00:29:57,933 --> 00:30:00,733 When the default mode network is quiet 798 00:30:00,766 --> 00:30:04,833 The brain actually gets closer to the underlying signals that it normally filters out. 799 00:30:05,533 --> 00:30:06,366 This question 800 00:30:06,400 --> 00:30:07,700 Science cannot answer for the time being 801 00:30:07,866 --> 00:30:10,566 But it may be the question at the very heart of consciousness. 802 00:30:10,833 --> 00:30:12,066 For this issue 803 00:30:12,066 --> 00:30:14,200 What are your thoughts and insights? 804 00:30:14,333 --> 00:30:18,600 Have you at any point experienced a similar narrowing of the self and seeing the whole? 805 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:19,633 feeling 806 00:30:19,833 --> 00:30:20,566 If there is 807 00:30:20,566 --> 00:30:22,233 Under what circumstances? 808 00:30:22,366 --> 00:30:25,000 What topic would you most like me to talk about in the next issue? 809 00:30:25,133 --> 00:30:26,900 Welcome to leave a message in the comment area to tell me. 810 00:30:27,633 --> 00:30:28,666 I am Wang Lijie 811 00:30:28,700 --> 00:30:29,833 See you next time.