How Our Brains Are “Conspirators” To the Paternalistic Technologies

Name: Professor’s Name: Course: Date: How Our Brains Are “Conspirators” To the Paternalistic Technologies Just the way our bodies are immune to various diseases and conditions, our immune system has evolved to have similar traits. The brain's ability to numb psychological pain and develop strategies to counter future encounters help an individual to lead a relatively happier life. CITATION Gil06 \l 1033 (Gilbert) refers to this phenomenon as ‘psychological immune system.’ Psychological immune system ‘protects us when we suffer wrenching setbacks but not when we try to cope with minor ones, imparting a surprising complacency in the face of significant blows but often leaving us quite helpless when we deal with trivial irritations’ (Gilbert, 132). The phenomenon uses varied strategies, and the response is based on the nature of the trigger. The psychological immune system helps us adapt to the world which is constantly throwing challenges at us, and our happiness is depended on how best and effectively we can get over them. The psychological immune system helps us to develop and achieve a positive view of those circumstances. “Irresistible explanatory urge” and how our brains obfuscate reality to our benefit. Our brains have different strategies of obfuscating reality which is to our benefit. One of the strategies is acting as a ‘know-it-all’ hen confounded by a challenge. According to (Gilbert, 134), 'research suggests that people are typically unaware of the reasons why they are doing what they are doing, but when asked for a reason, they readily supply one.’ Our ‘irresistible explanatory urge’ is a phenomenon which prompts an individual to give a justification for his/her decisions and or actions. If the brain cannot come up with a rational reason, it manufactures them to justify our actions even when we do not know the real reasons why we act the way we do. The brains obfuscate reality to our benefit. It is survival and evolutionary tactic that helped humans survive and evolve. Brains had to make decisions with very minimal information to survive possible attacks by predators. That primal instinct still prompts an individual to give reasons and explanations. ‘Explanations allow us to make use of our experiences’ (Gilbert, 140). If our brains were to always form very credible reasons and justifications for answers, some flight or fight responses that are reflexive could be late and more expensive. In the increasingly complex world with more dangers, that ‘gut’ feeling helps the individual navigate life. It is an important tool of socializing. It helps profile strangers although at times erroneously, but it helps in ensuring our survival chances. For example, in a public area, a hooded man sitting alone and hunched over his head on the bench holding a brown bottle is less trustworthy than a couple jogging. If you were to ask for directions, you would most probably ask and trust the couple than the man. The natural inclination to people who seem visibly happier and more relaxed helps in forming social bonds and it is founded on unexplainable and often erroneous assumptions. It is important to note that in some cases, the obfuscation of the reality is to our detriment but the benefits far outweigh...