This week's experiment has made the rounds through the internet as a strange trick, but there is science here too. We are going to use the science of complex systems to confuse your body.
To try this, you will need:
- your hands and feet
Lift your right foot about 6 inches off the ground. Now start moving it in circles, clockwise. As you continue doing that, use your right hand to draw a number 6 in the air in front of you. As you do that, you will find that your foot has changed directions and is now going counterclockwise.
Now, how did that happen? Although the experiment is easy, it is far from simple. It took quite a bit of digging to trace this trick back to Professor Haken and the science of Synergetics. This science deals with the ways that complex systems work. In a complex system such as your brain and nervous system, there are many different signals moving back and forth. Some of these signals are treated with more importance than others. Some of the signals also become coupled, with one signal guiding the other. That is what is happening with your foot and hand. Your hand movement couples with your foot movement, but your hand movement is treated with more importance, so your foot changes direction.
Even more interesting is that you don't actually have to move your hand. Try the experiment again, but this time just think about drawing the number 6 in the air. Your foot will still reverse. The pattern of your thoughts still couples with the movement of your foot. For even more fun, try drawing a number 8. Redraw the number over and over in a continuous motion and you will find that your foot keeps switching back and forth.
There are several variables in this experiment, so it may not work exactly for you the first time. If you find that it does not work well, trying circling your right foot while drawing the 6 with your left hand. Try reversing things, using your left foot and right hand, etc.
Why do your body movements couple? Get up and walk slowly across the room. Pay close attention to all the movements involved in walking. Yes, your legs move, but so does the rest of your body. You shift your position slightly with each step, to keep your balance. What if you had to think consciously about the movement of every muscle? Walking would be a very slow and tedious process, just as it is for a baby learning to walk. Our bodies quickly learn to group all those motions into patterns, giving various levels of importance to each. Soon the patterns are automatic. As your foot steps forward, your body shifts to keep your center of gravity over the other foot. As you sit down, you lean forward, again to keep your balance. As you open the freezer, your hand grasps the ice cream container......
Have a wonder-filled week.
