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Caltech Scientists Discover the Surprising Speed Limit of Human Thought - Just 10 Bits per Second
Last edited Sun Jan 26, 2025, 12:13 PM - Edit history (1)
https://scitechdaily.com/caltech-scientists-discover-the-surprising-speed-limit-of-human-thought-just-10-bits-per-second/Scientists at Caltech have uncovered a surprising limit to human thought speed—just 10 bits per second—despite our senses absorbing data at a billion bits per second.
This discovery raises fascinating questions about how our brains filter information and why we process one thought at a time. The study suggests evolutionary factors may play a role, with early brains designed for simple navigation rather than multitasking.
Quantifying the Speed of Thought
Caltech researchers have quantified the speed of human thought and found it to be just 10 bits per second. In contrast, our sensory systems process information at an astonishing rate of a billion bits per second—100 million times faster than our thinking speed. This discovery opens up intriguing questions for neuroscientists, particularly why the brain can focus on only one thought at a time while simultaneously handling vast amounts of sensory input.
The study was conducted in the lab of Markus Meister (PhD ’87), the Anne P. and Benjamin F. Biaggini Professor of Biological Sciences, with graduate student Jieyu Zheng leading the research. Their findings were recently published in the journal Neuron.
...
This discovery raises fascinating questions about how our brains filter information and why we process one thought at a time. The study suggests evolutionary factors may play a role, with early brains designed for simple navigation rather than multitasking.
Quantifying the Speed of Thought
Caltech researchers have quantified the speed of human thought and found it to be just 10 bits per second. In contrast, our sensory systems process information at an astonishing rate of a billion bits per second—100 million times faster than our thinking speed. This discovery opens up intriguing questions for neuroscientists, particularly why the brain can focus on only one thought at a time while simultaneously handling vast amounts of sensory input.
The study was conducted in the lab of Markus Meister (PhD ’87), the Anne P. and Benjamin F. Biaggini Professor of Biological Sciences, with graduate student Jieyu Zheng leading the research. Their findings were recently published in the journal Neuron.
...
This article dovetails nicely with my newest read: Dark and Magical Places - The Neuroscience of Navigation, Chistopher Kemp - https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005384
Inside our heads we carry around an infinite and endlessly unfolding map of the world. Navigation is one of the most ancient neural abilities we have—older than language. In Dark and Magical Places, Christopher Kemp embarks on a journey to discover the remarkable extent of what our minds can do.
Fueled by his own spatial shortcomings, Kemp describes the brain regions that orient us in space and the specialized neurons that do it. Place cells. Grid cells. He examines how the brain plans routes, recognizes landmarks, and makes sure we leave a room through a door instead of trying to leave through a painting. From the secrets of supernavigators like the indigenous hunters of the Bolivian rainforest to the confusing environments inhabited by people with place blindness, Kemp charts the myriad ways in which we find our way and explains the cutting-edge neuroscience behind them.
How did Neanderthals navigate? Why do even seasoned hikers stray from the trail? What spatial skills do we inherit from our parents? How can smartphones and our reliance on GPS devices impact our brains? In engaging, engrossing language, Kemp unravels the mysteries of navigating and links the brain’s complex functions to the effects that diseases like Alzheimer’s, types of amnesia, and traumatic brain injuries have on our perception of the world around us.
A book for anyone who has ever felt compelled to venture off the beaten path, Dark and Magical Places is a stirring reminder of the beauty in losing yourself to your surroundings. And the beauty in understanding how our brains can guide us home.
Fueled by his own spatial shortcomings, Kemp describes the brain regions that orient us in space and the specialized neurons that do it. Place cells. Grid cells. He examines how the brain plans routes, recognizes landmarks, and makes sure we leave a room through a door instead of trying to leave through a painting. From the secrets of supernavigators like the indigenous hunters of the Bolivian rainforest to the confusing environments inhabited by people with place blindness, Kemp charts the myriad ways in which we find our way and explains the cutting-edge neuroscience behind them.
How did Neanderthals navigate? Why do even seasoned hikers stray from the trail? What spatial skills do we inherit from our parents? How can smartphones and our reliance on GPS devices impact our brains? In engaging, engrossing language, Kemp unravels the mysteries of navigating and links the brain’s complex functions to the effects that diseases like Alzheimer’s, types of amnesia, and traumatic brain injuries have on our perception of the world around us.
A book for anyone who has ever felt compelled to venture off the beaten path, Dark and Magical Places is a stirring reminder of the beauty in losing yourself to your surroundings. And the beauty in understanding how our brains can guide us home.