Leonard Mlodinow
Leonard Mlodinow
Leonard Mlodinowis an American popular science author and screenwriter...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPhysicist
CountryUnited States of America
basic deprived experience feature human social
Social connection is such a basic feature of human experience that when we are deprived of it, we suffer.
courage extra gift gives giving great mind outer view
One of the things your unconscious mind does for you - and it's a great gift - is it gives you extra courage to view the outer world and it does that by giving you an extra-special view of yourself.
ends misuse pursue science
Politicians often misuse science for political ends and to pursue their own agenda.
aware factors
We perceive, we remember our experiences, we make judgments, we act - and in all of these endeavors, we are influenced by factors that we aren't aware of.
adjust amount communication forms function relative social spend surprising time
One of the most surprising forms of nonverbal communication is the way we automatically adjust the amount of time we spend looking into another's eyes as a function of our relative social position.
whether
Whether it's fiction or nonfiction, writing takes me to another world.
course future less likely lives longer might predicting
I find that predicting the course of our lives is like predicting the weather. You might be able to predict your future in the short term, but the longer you look ahead, the less likely you are to be correct.
'Subliminal' is about how we misinterpret our behavior because we're unaware of what our unconscious minds are doing.
complete exhaustive fill form rarely scientific visual
When judging a product, we rarely have exhaustive scientific data to go by. As a result, if we are to form a complete picture, we must fill in the blanks, just as we must in our visual perception.
architecture arise conscious due forces mental mind motivational operate outside portions processes rather subject
Our subliminal mental processes operate outside awareness because they arise in these portions of our mind that are inaccessible to our conscious self; their inaccessibility is due to the architecture of the brain rather than because they have been subject to Freudian motivational forces like repression.
impart seems
On the unconscious level, touch seems to impart a subliminal sense of caring and connection.
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If memories were indeed like what a camera records, they could be forgotten, or they could fade so that they are no longer clear and vivid. But it would be difficult to explain how people could have memories that are both clear and vivid while also being wrong. Yet that happens, and it is not infrequent.
aware bonds connect conscious form grooming hours society spend touching
Non-human primates spend hours a day grooming each other. And with humans, touching is also important. It's a way to form bonds and connect in modern society. But you can also speed up the use of conscious purposes once you're aware of that, and it can be manipulated.
books concepts life scientists somewhat tie tried whatever worked
Whatever I've worked on, I've always tried to make my writing personal. I think that's what makes my books somewhat different from what other scientists are doing. You have to tie concepts into everyday life, or they just won't be interesting for readers.