Have you ever considered how as newborns we come into the world as a blank canvas, and whether we become a masterpiece or otherwise is dependent on the brushstrokes of experiences that culminate into the human illustration we in turn portray throughout life? Our language, mannerisms and idiosyncrasies are all a collection of data points and inputs collected over time based on interactions with our environment and the influence of other humans. We are shaped by unconscious motivations. Something the renowned psychologist Sigmund Freud refers to as the collective unconscious.

As described by neuroscientist Karl Friston, “the brain creates a model of the world that it optimises using sensory inputs and acts as an interference machine that actively predicts and explains its sensations”. Put simply our brains creates miniature, internal systems - mental models - using patterns between neurons that capture and project some dynamics of the systems of the world. We create these mental models from information that comes through our senses and in turn gives us a picture of the world, like light into a camera. Research shows that in fact, our brains use fewer sense data than we think. For example, when we walk into a cafe and register that it is a cafe, our brain takes over and fills in most of what we expect to find in a cafe based on our idea (mental model) of what a cafe is. Similarly, if we’ve been raised with a pessimistic view of the world, whenever we experience new encounters (good or otherwise), our brain kicks in and projects our mental model of how we in turn perceive the said encounter pessimistically.

As cognitive scientist Anil Seth puts it: “we don’t just passively perceive the world, we actively generate it. The world we experience comes as much, if not more, from inside-out as from the outside-in”. Seth describes mental models as controlled hallucinations: “We’re all hallucinating all the time, including right now. It is just that when we agree about our hallucinations, we call it a reality”. These said hallucinations are controlled because they are grounded and constrained by sensory impressions as well as other mental models such as our understanding of the laws of nature.

Unlike mental models based on laws of nature e.g ‘sunrise and sunset’ which remain the same despite what we think about it, our other mental models that are experientially sustained can be changed when we change our thinking. Cognitive scientists describe mental models as made-up beliefs, with probabilities attached. However, the word beliefs can be somewhat misleading as we’re not always conscious of a mental model’s elements or able to articulate how they come to be. A mental model is our entire inner representation of something, including explicit beliefs, images, and less articulated emotions and instincts.

Luckily, we can reflect on our models as models, which opens up the possibility of developing new ones. We can be deliberate in our manipulation of mental models, editing, elaborating, and recombining their components to create new models. We can develop multiple alternative models, allowing us to explore a range of endless possibilities. The important thing to remember is that our thoughts unlike the law’s laws, are not permanent and do not equal reality. The mental models we live by today are constructed. They are full of construction materials we’ve collected along the way that can be dismantled, altered and recombined. We as humans possess the unique ability known as the art of “rethinking” that allows us to deconstruct mental models that were created through the collective unconscious and in turn create a life we desire.

Remember - “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking”- Albert Einstein

Peace, Love & Light.