Blog Post 4

I watched the video titled "The Mind Awake and Asleep." I don't really like the video because it seems like an old movie and also it is kinda boring. The video talks about how the conscious part of our brain processes the information that we take in and sort it into groups. In the videos words it imposes order in our brains. The video also describes how our brains are constantly making complex computations that are essential to our survival even when we sleep. The video primarily talks about our consciousness and how it affects our lives. Our consciousness is unique to us and is also constantly changing and adapting. Our consciousness can also act as a type of filter. It filters the constantly bombargement of stimuli and only takes the information that is relevant to us.

The part of the video that was most relevant and interesting to me was the section on attention. I myself can not pay attention when something is boring or if I just don't want to pay attention. I am easily distracted by things that look more fun or exciting. Everybody has a certain attention span, some longer than others. Eventually you can become bored and your mind wonders. It is human nature. Also the video explained that day dreaming was good for us. I happen to day dream quite often so I guess I am just doing my body some good.

Another thing that I learned from this section is how sleep loss can affect us in a variety of ways. A loss of sleep can affect our immune systems and causes us to make more mistakes that usual. Also sleep loss can make us more vulnerable to obesity. Also adults that sleep more tend to live longer than their sleep-deprived counterparts.

The thing that surprised me the most in this section was how much drugs can affect your life in such a short period of time. The picture of the woman on page 117 and how she changed over 4 years was very shocking. She doesn't look anything like she did 4 years ago. Also the drugs she took not only affected her looks but severely affected her mind. Certain drugs can damage your brain cells and cause you to lose memory, important processers, etc.

I agree with the idea of selective attention. Most people can only focus and do one thing well at a time. Most of our brains can not focus one two different things at the same time. Our attention shifts back and forth between the two and cau be bad. If you are trying to talk on the phone and drive at the same time, your attention may be on the phone conversation and you could get in an accident. I totally agree with the fact that we can not focus on two things at once. Often times people get stressed when they are trying to focus on two different things. We should take on one tasks at at time and get that task done before starting another.