Your Brain Is a Prediction Machine. What Does That Mean for Your Mental Health?
Antonieta Contreras, LCSW-R, CCTP-II, BCN, Author
Imagine a futuristic city bustling with activity where every need is anticipated and met with optimal efficiency. Traffic lights that sense your arrival, billboards tailored to your desires, weather forecasts that prepare you for tomorrow’s downpour, and groceries delivered just as you arrive home, craving your favorite meal. In essence, this city works by constantly predicting and fulfilling your needs. This is precisely how your brain operates — as a prediction machine, continuously anticipating, interpreting, guessing, and perceiving to shape your reality.
Why would our brain be continuously generating predictions about the future based on past experiences and learned associations?
Predictive processing is an efficient way for the brain to handle information. Predicting helps filter and focus on important information, reducing the cognitive burden of processing everything in real-time. By anticipating likely outcomes and preparing appropriate responses, predictions allow us to make decisions and guide our behavior more efficiently. This approach allows for a more efficient allocation of resources, minimizing the energy required to react to every single stimulus or situation…
