Adaptation: Why your brain loves to tune out

I'm sitting here pressing on my eye bones and can't see a thing....Think I'll go press the pillows and see if the brain can dream up something fun to do....Night all!

people that wear glasses full-time know of this; they do not see the frame around the lens, the brain conveniently disregards this...sadly, that means you bump your head on things that you might have seen without this habitual blind spot...and it is not that you do not see it, just rather the brain ignores it as if "been there -done that" for waht ever is in that precise field...kind of like kids stepping over something they dropped- -for the hundredth time..."Didn't see it" they say

Probably the most obvious and most ignored is what happens when you fall asleep.  Your brain actually semi-paralyzes you and turns off sense awareness.  Hence, once asleep the snoring next to you probably will not wake you (unless the windows rattle).  The brain is really quite amazing.  It can heal itself, and if sensory input is used carefully, it can heal other conditions.  Elderyl people who have balance problems can help that by walking barefoot at least part of every day.  The stimulation of the bottom of the foot stimulates the balance areas of the brain.  Wearing hard soled shoes or slippers that deprive the bottom of the foot of sensation can turn off parts of the brain that keep balance.

Having, years ago, adapted to a loud and endless noise (tinnititus), to hearing loss, compromised vision, Dupuytren syndrome, Lederhose disease, getting up several times in the night, an encounter with kidney disease so close that it occasioned what a friend and I called the short-gevity pitch from our doctor: "Take that long vacation, get your affairs in order, don't read, write" and more.
The other guy died, I got better. Nobody knows why.
I didn't grasp an eye ball with a thumb and index finger or go deeper into today's article. I have enough to not think about already.
 

RoadYacht ~
Funny you should mention eyeglass frames: I picked some in which the massive island chain floater in the left eye, tends to get lost and annoy me a bit less and it has worked.
Incidentally, it is not unusual for a Starbuck's barista to mention: "I like your glasses" or "What nice frames." It has begun to feel corporate if you know what I mean.

Brain Science. Yes. But also spiritual. Focus on others and your own problems fade from the scene.

Tommy ~
You could be our mom: "What're you guys up to? Nothing? Excellent, here's a list I have prepared for just such a moment."
It always entailed helping out some old person or another who knew exactly how to get the most out of us: "When you take that out to the garage, you might as well sweep up right away."
When it was over and it might have taken all day, we felt pretty good about ourselves.

A good way of accepting and adapting to your own life and its burdens is to stack it up against what other people are going through… I have one friend whose wife is capable of making every guy who meets her, stop on the way home and buy flowers.

Adaptation is trying to focus on the BBC story while those cool advertisements in glowing color pander for your attention from the margins of the computer screen's virtual page.

A childhood of hiding the transistor radio under the covers enabled me to this day to be able to listen to something with incredible static and not even notice it. I have heard "How can you listen to that?" a gazillion times.

Nice frames Stoney.

Thanks. A tall, black Pike's, no room- please.

Okay, I give.........where's Ivan?

I was wondering the same thing, Andy.
Can't get topic of the day to open this side of the ocean.

Here's most of it Hazel ~ The constant whir of a fan. The sensation of the clothes against your skin. The chair pressing against your legs. Chances are that you were not acutely aware of these until I pointed them out. The reason you had somehow forgotten about their existence? A fundamental brain process that we call adaptation.

Our brains are remarkably good at cancelling out all sorts of constants in our everyday lives. The brain is interested in changes that it needs to react or respond to, and so brain cells are charged with looking for any of these differences, no matter how minute. This makes it a waste of time registering things that are not changing, like the sensation of clothes or a chair against your body, so the brain uses adaptation to tune this background out, allowing you to focus on what is new.

If you don't believe me, try this simple, but startling demonstration. First, hold your eyeball perfectly still. You could use calipers to do this, or a drug that paralyses the eye muscles, but my favourite method is to use my thumb and index finger. Using the sides of your thumb and finger, press on the bone of the eye socket, through your upper and lower eyelids. Do this gently. Try it with one eye first, closing the other eye or covering it with your hand.

With your eye fixed in position, keep your head still and soon you will experience the strangest thing. (You will have to stop reading at this point. I don't mind. We will pick up when you have finished). After a few seconds the world in front of you will fade away. As long as you are holding your eyeball perfectly still, you will very quickly discover that you can see nothing at all. Blink, or move your head, let go of your eye and the world will come back. What's going on?!

Now you see it...

For all of our senses, when a certain input is constant we gradually get used to it. As you are holding your eye still, exactly the same pattern of light is falling on each brain cell that makes up the receptors in the back of your eye. Adaptation cancels out this constant stimulation, fading out the visual world. The receptors in your eye are still processing information. They have not gone to sleep. They simply stop firing as much, reducing the messages they pass on about incoming sensations - in effect the message passed on to the rest of the brain is "nothing new... nothing new... nothing new...". You can make your brain cells spring into action by moving your eye, or by waving your hand in front of your face. Your hand, or anything moving in the visual world, is enough of a change to counteract the adaptation.

This sounds like it could go badly wrong. What if I am watching something, or someone, I am thinking hard about it, and I forget to move my eyes for a few seconds. Will adaptation mean that thing disappears? Well, yes, it could in principle. But the reason it does not happen in practice is due to an ingenious work-around that the evolution has built into the design of the eyes - they constantly jiggle in their sockets. As well as the large rapid eye movements we make several times a second, there is also a constant, almost unnoticeable twitching of the eye muscles that means that your eyes are never absolutely still, even when you are fixing your gaze on one point. This prevents any fading out due to adaptation.

You can see this twitching when you look at a single point of light against a dark background (such as a single star in the sky, or a glowing cigarette end in a totally dark room). Without a frame of reference your brain will be unable to infer a stable position of the point of light. Every twitch of your eye muscles will seem like a movement of the point of light (a phenomenon called the autokinetic effect).

and here is the rest -- enoy!  Adaptation is so useful for the brain's processing of information that it has been kept by evolution, even in basic visual processing, and this extra muscle twitching has been added in to prevent too much adaptation causing problems for us. But the basic mechanism is still there, as my eye experiment revealed.

Once you understand adaptation, you discover that it is all around us. It is the reason people shout when they come out of nightclubs (they have got used to the constant high volume, so it does not seem as loud to them as it does to the people they wake up on the way home). It is why a smell that might have hit you as overpowering when you first enter a room can actually be ignored after you've got used to it. And it is related to the phenomenon of word alienation, whereby you repeat a word so often it loses its meaning. But most of the time it operates quietly, in the background, helping to filtering out the things that do not change, so that we can concentrate on the more important tasks of those that do.

What's with Mr. Peterman and all these three day weekends?  *sigh* Must be nice.
 
Tuning out is hard for me.  I went swimming on Saturday night and have had water in my left ear ever since.  It usually clears up in a couple days by itself but not being able to hear out of one ear is incredibly frustrating and disorienting.  I feel paranoid that I can't tell where sounds are coming from.  But the article makes sense in a way, that would be why creatures have eyelids, to be able to shut off the sensory overload...but funny that we never developed "earlids" to shut out sounds.

NACHISTA:
I also had noticed the "extra day" on the farm. But after all these weeks it's now a regular 3 day week end.
Maybe it's put that way so peolpe that have to go to work don't feel so bad that Mr. P. now only works 4 days  week.
LOL!!!!

We had, yesterday, a nice nine family member dinner outside near the river lacking only our Easterners.
Our daughters got together and did something extraordinarily nice for their mom that has the room they worked on looking like it belongs in a different and nicer house.
Appreciation: you got that going for you, nothing else matters… as much.

I wonder how many current posters were onboard the last time J.Peterman dropped by for a line or two?
Were you?

Korthal, if it is a real working farm then I guess it isn't reall a "three day weekend", but if it is more of a hobby farm then it would be a bit more like a vacation. Although truth be told I'd rather get up earl to do the milking than get up early to sit through a policy meeting.

early, not earl, I'm sure earl wouldn't want to do the milking for me. 

I was guessing Mr P might need longer weekends on account of maybe ill health or just getting older.
Thanks, Andy~ for the explaination of what todday is supposed to be about.

there is an opposite,but almost equal sensation; you are in the kitchen,laundry room,etc., and the refrigerator/dryer stops...and you say "what's that sound?"

I have always explained to people that when a familiar machine starts making an unfamiliar sound, find out what it is; machines do not magicaly heal, and it either has become worse if you no longer hear it, or the new sound is the sound of crisp pictures of dead Presidents leaving ......

and that great automotive advice ; "turn the radio up louder" does nothing to remove the terror of 'will I make it safely?'

To my knowledge, Mr. P. has never dropped by in the time I have been here.

We had a power out this morning and the silence of the boiler, the freezer, the refrigerator, the absence of radio was disconcerting. We think we have tuned out from such things, but feel a bit uncomfortable when the buzz, hum, thing that sounds like a hibernating bear fall silent.

Hazel, I LOVE it when the power goes out, especially on a spring or summer evening.  We tend to forget how much noise our appliances make just from being plugged in, not even turned on.

A measure of how we adapt can be apparent if a spouse is present when you answer health related questions: "Wait a minute, you didn't have 'no surgeries' in the last two years, you had three.
Oh, yeah.

I hear a silence in the Village that others have noted, too............Ivan's voice is silent.  I miss hearing him....

Hmmmmm.......would pushing on my eye lead to a transcendental meditation state? 

I miss Ivan too ....

Ho hum, when I was a kid I pressed my eyeballs to see pretty patterns inside my head, when I was a teenager I discovered LSD now I go out into the garden and look at the flowers.

I'm pretty sensitive to the sounds our old house makes: the cooler in the wine cellar, the boiler, the water running.  My husband hears none of it.  I used to think that maybe I had extraordinary hearing, but I did one of those on-line hearing tests and discovered my hearing is appropriate to my age and I can't hear those decibels that the young can hear.  So, I guess I'm just sensitive to the sounds of the house.  I like hearing it.  It's an old house, nearly 100 now. It deserves to moan and creak a little.

I used to like to buy/wear perfume, but I would become desensitized to the fragrance so I quit.  Now I have a lot of pretty bottles on my dresser taking up space and getting dusty. But I just can't bring myself to part with them.

Stoney, i think i was there the first time John P commented, and the last time. Back then there were only about a dozen contributors.... The last time i can think of is him commenting on Olivia's short stories about almost meeting him..... Maybe two, three years ago...?

My brother owned a salvage company and when I used to dive with him some of the rivers have water so dark that even a light didn't help so there was total darkness and the sound of your own breathing. It was surreal, a rhythm that was quite mystical. Haze's story reminded me of the Mad Men episode a few weeks ago when Roger dropped acid.

A twilight walk in a woods or by a stream usually lets the dead horse i sometimes drag around with me and clears my vision and focus my attention on each sight, sound, smell and touch as they are hapoening.

We owe it to ourselves to be able to shake off all those distractions that deny us so much......just like a dog drying itself off after a dip in a pond.

Its kinda funny now that i reflect upon it, but i used to get the same results by getting out of a meeting or just the office and take a walk through the factory with all of the rhythmic sounds of the well maintained machines happily doing what they were created to do.

There is much to say about the benefits of elemental sounds and one's state of mind.

Stoney, your to-do list made made think of Mrs. Corbett.

Mrs. Corbet was I think about 127 years old and lived in a basement flat katty-corner and across the alley from our flat.

She was such a gentle, good hearted woman from another time and place an ocean away. It was my privilege to pick up her groceries whenever she needed something. Usually about twice a week.

I would get her list and her wire fold up basket on wheels.... A.k.a.,junk mobile, and get her stuff from the National Tea store about three blocks away.

My reward was a pat on the cheek and a kiss on the forehead. She may have been taller than 5' once, but she was about 4' , 8" when i served her.

It was the most rewarding job i could ever hope for. A tradition passed down from one sibling to the next. A rite of passage.

Peter Lake ~
I know what you mean, it was almost a relief working for people you knew were not expected to pay… they had nothing but maybe a beverage, a cookie and a gesture of gratitude.
Although, we were often told that we were not quite up to the standard of the previous and older brother which meant, as the fourth in line, I must have been almost completely useless.

Hello all.  It's asking me 'what do you think?" and that always startles me because sometimes I just don't think about much.  Some days, sometimes, are like that.  Lovely, pleasant, easy like the soft breeze we have right this moment here in SE Wisconsin that's bringing in the scent of my lilacs, oh it's nice - or I think too much, and during these times, I'm well aware that I'm over thinking, but I can always count on somebody in my life to tell me, like it's something new:  "you think too much."  Well, it's true, I do - except for days like today when the air is soft those birds won't be quiet their singing is sweet and funny and anyhow who can think with the scent of lilacs filling your head?  Whew.  That was a long one, the sentence.  I'm out of breath just typing it.   

I remember when Mr. Peterman used to drop in on the posts...his comments were always highlighted, like the honor roll distinction...

As for Mr. Peterman taking 3 days, Hazel you and I have the same thoughts on the subject, or he just might be doing what most people do or want to do after a certain amount of years working for the man even if the man is yourself:  not work.  Not pretend to work.  Just stopping and smelling the lilacs and letting your brain go with the scent...let's hope that's what Mr. Peterman is doing.  ....  AND AS FOR IVAN, has he been away long? because I've been away for a week or so...I can't even begin to think that he might be ill, that's not possible, that's too big a concept, I miss his bold type and Caps where they do and don't belong... HAZEL:  your 3:48 is utterly charming and so very much you. 

Anyone else been missing lately?  

Stoney:  you and I share almost every illness you described up there except for the one that almost did you in.  But including tinnitus, which stops for about 5 minutes every few months and then I can hear silence and I really envy people who don't have that noise in their heads.  I bet if more people had it, they'd come up with a cure or something to make the ringing go away.  Alas, it's low on the totem pole of medical problems requiring solutions....I think it falls into the nuisance category (unless you happen to have it).

Hi Penn (I'm waving)!

P4, Hi!!! I've missed seeing you around (but I bet good money you were having FUN)!

Park4 ~
It's funny that neither of us mentioned that pesky little I can't breathe issue.

Maybe we buried it in the deep dark recesses of our minds.  Where it belongs.  I was thinking, you haven't had a hip doohickey installed - yet - have you? wink.....you get one of those and we'll be twins!  God help us Stoney...

Penny:  pretty much okay now, after a week of the dreaded W word (work) - I've recovered, and am now back to being the  fun loving tuned out sloth that is the Real Me.  How about you?  Got anything going for summer that you'd care to tell the world (laughing).  It's hard to remember this isn't a private venue, know what I mean? 

Ha Paula, sometimes it IS difficult to believe this site is public. Well, my son is is one class away from a Fine Arts and Teaching degree. He has been on the seven year plan, but hey he stuck with it and had some fun surfing along the way.

I'm going to my Aunt and Uncle's 50th wedding anniversary and dieting like crazy, because it has been so long since I've seen that part of my family they think I'm still in Hawaii bathing suit shape....God Bless 'em :)

How about you????

Sorry---I tuned out there for a few minutes....the sound of the rushing river outside my hotel balcony took my attention. I am in Cherokee, NC, room overlooking the Oconoluftee River which is running high with all the rain here in the SE lately.

At home I can hear the chirps of the refrig running, the ice dropping, the overhead fan in whirl, and the hot tub when it cuts on to bubble routinely. I listen for the sounds of the garbage truck on Monday mornings so I can go get the empty can back in, and the whump of the newspaper landing on the driveway.

I can read a book while the TV is on, and still have a vague idea of what the show is doing and keep up with my book. When i was teaching, it was not unusual to deal with 4-5 kids asking me something at the same time, even while the PA box was droning on the morning announcements.

As for illnesses....I believe those who can transcend the pains and irritations are easier to be around than those who complain about every little ache or sting. My hands hurt every day, but I dont' talk about it (except now), but I know people who habitually go on about how their back is hurting, legs are aching, or feet hurt...no fun, no profit in it.....adapt-tune out- or see the doc.

I think some of you who mention your illnesses have probably survived with adaptation, and as you say, learned not to dwell on it....good for you. Hope the pain/floaters/tingling/ringing will go away for you soon.

I am back to listening to the rush of the river (tuning out the TV on FoxNews).

Penn~ I think I am STILL in Hawaii bathing suit shape-wrinkled and faded, unused and alone, in the bottom of a drawer....or were you not talking about the suit

Fish wine warm gulf breeze in Pensacola tonight and my mind is adapting to living and dying in 3/4 time and looking for some voodoo to conjure up the elusive Mr. P. Actually fun to be like Thomas Magnum living in Robin Master's house but never seeing him.... I dunno.

Now, Moose, if I didn't know better I'd think you were being a bit condescending in 9:46.   I'm not about to explain what Stoney and I were talking about in detail, because if I did, you might feel just a little bit bad about having what sounds like a "get over it or go to a doctor" attitude.  Homework:  here's some mocassins, there must be a thousand of them. They belong to assorted and anonymous people here in the Village and those who are reading this out there wherever they are.  ....  I suggest you put on a pair and start walking a mile, then do the same with all the rest.   Capiche?