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> “There is increasing evidence that the same parts of the nervous system used when we perform an action are also activated when we watch that action performed
by karmakaze 3y ago
> “There is increasing evidence that the same parts of the nervous system used when we perform an action are also activated when we watch that action performed by others,”
Certainly there has to be a 'theory of operation' in the viewers mind for the trick to work. One way is by having first-hand familiarity with the mechanics. I'd be curious if the trick would work on an animal very familiar with human mechanics but no thumbs, say a smart breed of dog.
- BillyTheMage 3y agoI could totally see a Siberian Husky arguing with you about it
- kmoser 3y agoWhen I watch people perform intricate physical movements (e.g. dance, gymnastics, yoga) I can actually feel in my "mind's eye" what it would be like to be in their place, including the sensations of movement and pressure against whatever they are making contact with. So to me it's obvious that my nervous system gets activated just by watching others, and I assumed (probably wrongly) that most people have the same experience. I also thought this would be obvious to scientists since it's well known that babies mimic adult facial expressions, and therefore there must be some correlation to the parts of the nervous system being activated in both individuals.
- AlecSchueler 3y agoIt's mirror neurons, as mentioned in the article. Well known to the science community for decades now but still a lot of research that needs to be done.
- dhosek 3y agoThere’s a very simple trick where you have someone twist their arms in such a way that there hands end up in the opposite places than is typical. You then have the person with twisted limbs move a finger that’s pointed to but not touched. In most cases, the subject moves the finger on the wrong hand.
- drjasonharrison 3y agoIt's a different trick but some dogs respond very differently to the treat being neither hand: https://www.thedodo.com/close-to-home/magician-perform-magic-tricks-shelter-dogs https://www.thedodo.com/close-to-home/magician-perform-magic...