How Physics is Connected to Psychology
Why Your Brain is a Wavefunction.
Ever hear the term wavefunction? This is undoubtedly the most important concept in modern physics.
A wave function describes the existence of all possible states of a system. It relates to the probability that a particular state can be realized. For example, it can be a specific arrangement of air molecules in your room.
But we don’t have to confine ourselves to molecules. Wavefunction is a considerably more general concept. Any system can be described by a wavefunction.
Even your brain.
A multitude of ideas (=states) exist in the human brain subconsciously. But consciously, we think one thing at a time. This is a state the brain assumes with a certain probability.
Experiments showed that a specific brain activity precedes conscious decision-making. When we think we make a decision, it’s not “us”, it’s the brain. We become aware of this decision half a second later and think we took it consciously.
Brain synapses permit transmission of electric signals between neurons. The synaptic space is just about right for electron tunneling. “Tunneling” is an electron leaving the synaptic space even if it doesn’t have enough energy to do so. Why is this possible? Because the probability of this event is not zero.
So electrons tunnel, which is how a thought process works. Psychology studies mind and behavior, conscious and unconscious phenomena, which can be described using the concept of wavefunction in physics.
Cool fact: The Greek letter psi (Ψ) is used to denote a wavefunction in quantum mechanics.
