Changing Our Mental Maps
7/13/20261 hr 34 min
As we move through the world, it's easy to imagine we're processing everything that happens around us and then deciding how to respond. But psychologist and neuroscientist Norman Farb says our brains actually navigate the world by coming up with mental maps. These maps act like an autopilot system, allowing us to navigate our lives more efficiently. But sometimes, they can lead us astray, leaving us stuck on a path of negativity and unhappiness. This week, in a favorite episode from 2024, we talk with Norman Farb about how we can update our internal maps and see the world more clearly. Then, Dave Evans answers your questions about radical acceptance.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsShankar Vedantam· Host0:00
This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedantam. In February 2024, two German tourists visited Australia. During one section of their trip in Queensland, they turned off the main road on the advice of Google Maps. They figured that the road up ahead was closed because of a rising river, and the detour would take them to their destination. As one of them put it later, they trusted the map.
Speaker 2· Soundbite0:27
We decided, okay, let's follow Google Maps because Google Maps knows maybe more than we know.
Shankar Vedantam· Host0:34
[laughs] The tourists told an Australian TV station and other media that they took a dirt path known as the Langi Track. At first, things looked fine. Their off-road vehicle seemed up for the terrain. But about forty miles in, the four-wheel drive Nissan Navara got bogged down. Its wheels sank into the mud. The Germans were stuck, and they found they couldn't reach anyone for help. Recognizing they were in serious trouble, they decided to abandon their vehicle and trek back in the direction they'd come.
Speaker 2· Soundbite1:14
I feel like in a movie, like in a bad movie. We tried to build a shelter, [laughs] but that, that didn't work really well. So we slept, like, under the sky.
Shankar Vedantam· Host1:26
Rain poured down on them. They had to watch out