Here's how the human brain acts on spontaneous decisions

A recent study may have finally figured out what our brains are doing when we indulge in spontaneous behaviour

Have you ever been faced with a choice at a crossroads? A recent study may have finally figured out what our brains are doing when we indulge in spontaneous behaviour. 

The Brain Institute at Chapman University in California, US, conducted a study on how the brain triggers impulsive behaviour like leaping off a high-dive platform or coming up with novel ideas.

They concentrated on a phenomenon where the human brain becomes more active one or two seconds before it takes action.

Since the 1960s, neuroscientists have believed that this ramping is an indication that our brain is getting ready to act following the completion of an unconscious, premeditated decision.

However, the new research offers another answer. The team found that many rapidly fluctuating neurons -- brain cells, interact to create slow fluctuations in brain activity that reach a threshold crossing event -- the final state, when the brain finally decides to act on the spontaneous decision by simulating neural networks and comparing them to recordings of human brain activity.

Jake Gavenas from the institute suggested that, contrary to what was previously stated, “we are completely aware of this behaviour and in complete control of our brain.”

“We may decide whether to act on this spontaneous decision or not, we can ignore the external stimuli -- the background noise that can cloud judgement,” he said.

This study casts doubt on the notion that our behaviour is mostly dictated by our subconscious.

Rather, it means that a great deal of spontaneous judgments still include unexplored aspects like creativity and memory recall, indicating that spontaneous behaviours originate from the intricate connections inside our brain networks.

“We see similar slow-ramping signals before other kinds of spontaneous behaviours, like coming up with creative ideas or freely remembering things that have happened to you. A similar process might therefore underlie those phenomena, but only time and further research will tell,” Gavenas said.

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