CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE SELF
Free Will and the UnconsciousFree Will and
the Unconscious
Many activities in everyday life—from our
movements to our emotions—are not controlled
consciously. Instead, unconscious activity in the
brain is behind a lot of our actions, thoughts,
and behaviors.
Free will
The ability to choose a course of action without restriction is
called free will, and it may seem that we use our conscious mind
to make these decisions. However, research suggests that we
may have less conscious control over our actions than we think.
Experiments have shown that our brain begins to plan a movement
one-fifth of a second before we consciously decide to make a move.Benjamin Libet’s experiment
Scientist Benjamin Libet instructed his
subjects to note down when they became
conscious of their decision to raise a finger.
At the same time, their brain waves and
muscle movements were recorded.Time (milliseconds)EMG
READING
–500 –200 0
CAN YOUR
UNCONSCIOUS HELP
YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM?If you are stuck on a problem,
letting your mind wander can
allow the brain to collect
information from your
unconscious and potentially
provide a solution.
Conscious
thought
The subject records the
exact time when they become
aware that they want to raise
their finger.2
Point at which
unconscious brain
activity signals to
muscles to raise fingerMoment subject
makes conscious
decision to
move fingerSubject at rest,
with finger flat
on tableUnconscious
brain activity
plans finger
movement3
Brain
activity
An electroencephalogram
(EEG, see p.42) shows brain
activity increasing one-fifth of a
second before conscious thought.1
EMG records
muscle movement
from finger
being raisedEE
G^
RE
AD
IN
G
Planned actionFinger
raised
An electromyograph (EMG),
an instrument that measures
muscle movement, records
the moment the subject
raises a finger.US_168-169_Free_will_and_the_unconscious.indd 168 20/09/2019 12:38