Mind Hacks

Hack #64. Mold Your Body Schema

Your body image is mutable within only a few minutes of judicious—and misleading—visual feedback.

Our brains are constantly updated with information about the position of our bodies. Rather than relying entirely on one form of sensory feedback, our bodies use both visual and tactile feedback in concert to allow us to work out where our limbs are likely to be at any one moment. Proprioception—generated by sensory receptors located in our joints and muscles that feed back information on muscle stretch and joint position—is another sense that is specifically concerned with body position.

The brain combines all this information to provide a unified impression of body position and shape known as the body schema. Nevertheless, by supplying conflicting sensory feedback during movement, we can confuse our body schema and break apart the unified impression.

In Action

Find a mirror big enough so you can stand it on its edge, perpendicular to your body, with the mirrored side facing left. Put your arms at your sides (you’ll probably need a friend to hold the mirror). This whole setup is shown in Figure 6-2. Look sideways into the mirror so you can see both your left hand and its reflection in the mirror, so that it appears at first blush to be your hidden right hand. While keeping your wrists still and looking into the mirror, waggle your fingers and move both your hands in synchrony for about 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, keep your left hand moving but stop your ...