Scientists Have Developed a New Explanation for Consciousness

According to a new theory, choices are formed unconsciously and become conscious around half a second later.

A new hypothesis states that decisions are made unconsciously and come to consciousness around a half-second later.

Being conscious means being aware of your environment and oneself. You alone possess this awareness, which is also arbitrary.

A researcher at Boston University's Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has devised a new theory of awareness that explains why it evolved, what it is beneficial for, which conditions affect it, and why it is so challenging to diet and resist other cravings.

According to corresponding author Andrew Budson, MD, professor of neurology, "in a nutshell, our theory is that consciousness emerged as a memory system that is employed by our unconscious brain to enable us flexibly and imaginatively foresee the future and plan accordingly." The idea that humans don't directly experience the world, make judgments, or take acts is what makes this theory utterly novel. Instead, we perform all of these actions subconsciously until becoming cognizant of them around a half-second later.

Budson explained that he and his co-authors, psychologist Elizabeth Kensinger, Ph.D., from Boston College, and philosopher Kenneth Richman, Ph.D., at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, developed this theory in order to explain a number of phenomena that could not be easily explained by earlier theories of consciousness.

We were aware that conscious processes were simply too slow to actively participate in activities like music, sports, and other ones that call for quick reactions. Budson, who is also Chief of Cognitive & Behavioral Neurology, Associate Chief of Staff for Education, and Director of the Center for Translational Cognitive Neuroscience at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System, stated that if consciousness is not involved in such processes, then a better explanation of what consciousness does was required.

The researchers assert that the significance of this idea is that it explains how all of our decisions and acts, which we wrongly think were made consciously, are actually made unconsciously. We may therefore tell ourselves that we will only eat one scoop of ice cream and then, the next thing we know, the container is empty because our conscious mind is not in control of our actions.

Even our thoughts generally escape our conscious awareness. We may struggle to stop a constant stream of thoughts as we try to go asleep, and this lack of control also contributes to the difficulties of practicing mindfulness, says Budson.

According to Budson and his coauthors, a variety of neurologic, psychiatric, and developmental conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, delirium, migraines, schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder, some forms of autism, and more, qualify as diseases of consciousness.

The authors' research concludes with a road map for how therapists, teachers, and individuals might use clinical and educational approaches that can effectively mold both the conscious mind and the unconscious brain to change behavior and acquire knowledge. With more research, this approach may help patients reduce problem behaviors like overeating, shed light on how the brain's structural components aid memory, and even shed light on philosophical questions about free will and moral responsibility.

Reference: Andrew E. Budson, MD, Kenneth A. Richman, PhD, and Elizabeth A. Kensinger, PhD, "Consciousness as a Memory System," published in Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology on  October 2022, Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology.
DOI: 10.1097/WNN.0000000000000319

The National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health provided funding for the study.