Storr Chapter 6 Summary

Chapter 6 is the first chapter thus far in Storr’s writing which has not included one of Storr’s experiences; rather, this chapter seemed to serve more as a continuation or explanation of the previous chapter. Storr delved deep into neuroscientific discussion in this chapter: he discussed the age, origin, and understood phenomena of the brain before shifting toward more theoretical discourse. Knowing that his points became increasingly complex as the chapter progressed, Storr directly addressed the reader multiple times – for example, this instance on page 77: “If you are thinking that you must be misunderstanding all of this, because it is just too spooky… then I am sorry to tell you that you are not” (Storr 77). He ended the chapter speaking completely to the reader and ultimately insinuated that misunderstanding or even rejecting theoretical neuroscience is okay because “you are, after all, only human” (Storr 91). …show more content…
It forces the brain to turn more of its attention towards solving the problem. This is also why, given enough attention, one can ‘flip’ the ballerina’s direction. However, the ball illusion is different because our brain’s preconceptions enhance our ability to catch the ball – this is why it is a less obvious illusion. In this scenario, the brain’s calculations have to happen within seconds. Since the illusion lies in the prediction of the ball’s location, the brain considers the illusion harmless and chooses to overlook it and, after catching the ball, completely forget about it. This applies to many other real-world examples, too – giving a high-five, jumping with a jump rope, and hitting a baseball with a bat, to name a few. The options are endless – if the brain determines such illusions are beneficial, then it certainly will not wait for our comprehension to catch