Science of self: In a series of Lynne Malcolm's favourite All in the Mind programsScience of self: In a series of Lynne Malcolm's favourite All in the Mind programs
All In The Mind
Scientists and philosophers have been perplexed by our sense of the self for millennia. Now, by investigating neurological conditions which disrupt the self—such as body identity disorder, schizophrenia, and the doppelganger effect—neuroscience is finding new clues.
29:06•22 Nov 2020
Science of Self: How the Brain Builds Your Sense of "I"
Episode Overview
- The self does not reside in a single brain region; it depends on multiple brain networks, the body and culture working together.
- Conditions such as Cotard syndrome and BIID show how disruptions in brain activity can radically alter basic feelings of existence and body ownership.
- The rubber hand illusion demonstrates how easily the brain can be persuaded to adopt a fake limb as part of the body.
- Experiences like doppelgangers, out-of-body states and ecstatic epilepsy highlight how flexible and fragile our sense of being located in a body can be.
- Neuroscience has advanced our understanding of the self, but big questions about consciousness and the "I" behind experience remain unresolved.
“"Our sense of self is really a very intricate dance between the brain, the body and the culture that we're part of."”
What insights can experts and survivors share about addiction? Here, the focus shifts from substances to something even more slippery: the sense of "I" itself. All in the Mind, hosted by Lynne Malcolm, takes a curious, gently mind-bending look at how the brain builds – and sometimes scrambles – our idea of who we are. Science journalist Anil Ananthaswamy and neuroscientist Dr Lee Walsh unpack conditions where the self goes sideways.
From Cotard syndrome, where a man named Graham was convinced he was dead, to body integrity identity disorder (BIID), where David felt one of his legs "wasn't his" until it was amputated, you'll hear how small glitches in brain networks can radically change someone’s experience of being a person. Dr Walsh demonstrates the famous rubber hand illusion, showing how easily the brain can be tricked into feeling, "I'm touching my hand" when it’s actually a rubber prop.
As he notes, "the illusion is actually strong enough that if you threaten or strike this hand, you actually have a genuine physiological response." It's equal parts party trick and serious clue about how the brain ties body, touch and vision into a single self.
Ananthaswamy moves through doppelganger experiences, ecstatic epilepsy, schizophrenia and depersonalisation to show that the self is less a solid object and more, as he puts it, "a very intricate dance between the brain, the body and the culture that we're part of." He links this to ancient ideas from Buddhism and Hinduism, while stressing how much remains unknown about consciousness and the mysterious "I" behind every experience.
This episode suits anyone curious about identity, mental health and why feeling like "me" is far less straightforward than it seems. It might just leave you asking: how stable is your sense of self, really?
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