Seen yet Unseen, or See the Unseen?

On a daily basis, we face different situations on our life. So different that we need to take stand for what we think about them, and sometimes what bothers us are whether it’s good or bad, right or wrong, or else. I believe that we all try to see from different perspective, but does it really matter?

The different perspectives can lead us everywhere, from the highest praise to the lowdown of shame. And by choosing perspective, I believe that has something to do with us trusting our mind or our heart, since they are the only options we have, to tell us what’s right and what can be right. You know the difference. And now it will be the contest between heart versus mind. Which one you prefer to follow? Which one enables you to really be seen, not just see? And goes we think.
 

We all know that the most logical way to think is through our mind, and yet that most logical way can’t be applied on all things. And yes, through our heart, everything seems melodramatic, but does it answer questions? Maybe.
 

Based on studies conducted by Nasir Naqvi, Baba Shiv, and Antoine Bechara, “The Role of Emotion in Decision Making: A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective”, published in the Current Directions in Psychological Science Vol. 5 No. 5, stated that the decision making processes includes not only cognitive processes, but also emotional processes, according to the somatic-marker hypothesis.
 

The hypothesis alone said, “When individuals make decisions, they must assess the incentive value of the choices available to them, using cognitive and emotional processes. When the individuals face complex and conflicting choices, they may be unable to decide using only cognitive processes, which may become overloaded.”
 

This hypothesis was tested using different method, one of them is the “Iowa Gambling Task” method, which tested two kinds of people, normal person and vmPFC (ventromedial prefrontal cortex)¹ damaged person. Both are asked to choose cards from four different decks, which represents different risks and rewards. The results are described below:

1.    Normal person tend to choose from less risky decks, while equally consider the risk-to-reward ratio from all decks, and significantly change mind after experiencing high risk from one deck.
2.    vmPFC damaged person tend to choose always from risky decks, seemingly insensitive to the risks and punishments.
 

The next step, they conducted another test. Now includes the measurement of skin-conductance response (SCR)². The results shown as below:
1.    Normal person elicited higher index of SCR while considering the risky decks, rather than considering the less risky decks.
2.    vmPFC damaged person elicited intact index of SCR while considering both risky or less risky decks, suggesting no emotional impact.
 

Then, after the emotional processes are elicited in the body during the decision making, they are represented in the brain through a sensory process, which we called “gut feelings”.
 

Another studies on functional magnetic resonance imagery (fMRI)³ shows that vmPFC plays a big role in predicting the future rewarding consequences on different behaviors by accessing information about their specific rewarding consequences in the past. On the same study, the fMRI has shown that activity in the insular cortex⁴ is greater during high-risk decision making than it is during low-risk decision making and suggesting that the insular cortex plays a big role in assessing risk and guiding behavior based upon the anticipation of emotional consequences, especially negative emotional consequences.
 

For maybe the elaboration above is unclear, let’s try to put it this way. Say, we are sitting on an math exam. It’s definite that we will think cognitively rather using our emotion to sort the quizzes out. And say, we get our answer for one question, then we check it again, if the answer’s right. Does it feel right? More or less, that’s how we make decision. People with damage is unable to do that, they may get the answer, but unable to answer if it does feel right.
 

On my account, it’s definitely easier said than done. And it may works on you as well. I still think that following my heart is good, or at least giving me good lessons. I believe that nothing comes for free, there are always price to pay, or presents to claim. We may never know until we are actually in it, and to put it in easier terms, it’s the decision to go along or back off, that we need to really think about.
 

It is seen yet unseen, the way we overthink something.
 

It is to see the unseen, the way we throw ourselves away in that something.
 

Sorry for the inconclusive writing. Bye.








Footnotes:
¹ vmPFC (ventromedial prefrontal cortex) : an area of the brain located above the eye sockets.
² skin-conductance response (SCR) : an autonomic index in emotional arousal.
³ functional magnetic resonance imagery (fMRI) : functional neuroimaging procedure using MRI technology that measures brain activity by detecting changes associated with blood flow
⁴ insular cortex : a portion of the cerebral cortex folded deep within the lateral sulcus (the fissure separating the temporal lobe from the parietal and frontal lobes)