A Will to Evolve: Cognition’s Struggle With Nature
BOOM! We have a special (and hopefully recurring) author for this week! Aris Antoniadis is a Boston College student studying both psychology and business analytics. Truly a man with some great wisdom to share… This article discusses the cognitive processes involved in our will to change and strive for something bigger than ourselves. This stuff is important, so sit back, relax, and absorb the wisdom that Mr. Antoniadis is about to share.
Picture from The Truman Show - Paramount Pictures
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” - Heraclitus
Introduction
Since the dawn of time, the universe has been driven by a relentless desire to explore, discover, and expand. From the formation of stars to the emergence of life on Earth, evolution is the result of a continuous interplay between the known and the unknown. This process extends far beyond humanity; it is a fundamental characteristic of all matter and life. Humans, as products of this vast evolutionary journey, inherited this intrinsic drive. But why are we compelled to solve mysteries, question the world around us, and imagine "what if"? Where does the urge to change, innovate, and adapt come from? This article will explore these questions, moving beyond philosophical reflection to examine the neural and cognitive processes that fuel the inexorable force of evolution and change.
The Evolutionary Roots of Curiosity and Exploration
At the heart of our drive to discover lies curiosity, a cognitive trait deeply rooted in our evolutionary past. Contrary to common belief, curiosity and questioning are not mere casual pastimes but rather crucial survival mechanisms honed over millions of years.
Looking deeper into the neural circuitry that governs curiosity, its evolutionary importance becomes clear: we need it desperately. Research by Kidd and Hayden (2015) has shown that the brain's reward system, particularly the dopaminergic pathways, plays a crucial role in curiosity. Whenever we travel to new places, read a new book, or talk to a new person, our brains release dopamine, creating a sense of pleasure that further encourages our desire to explore!
Fitting with the theme of evolutionary interconnectedness, humans are not unique in this phenomenon. Comparative studies across species reveal similar neural mechanisms at play. From primates playing with novel objects to rats exploring new environments, using the known to illuminate the unknown appears to be a vital trait across many species (Gruber et al., 2014).
Furthermore, when encountering something new or unexpected through curiosity, our dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) become activated. Through this act of curiosity, not only do we get feelings of pleasure but research shows that this activation also enhances memory formation in the hippocampus, allowing for learning and adaptation which logically will lead to satisfying our curiosity (Lisman & Grace, 2005).
Once we connect pleasure, satisfaction, motivation, and learning with curiosity, it becomes much easier to answer the question, “Why are we drawn to constant change through the exploration of the unknown?” Because it makes us feel good!
Neural Mechanisms of Discovery and Innovation
However, our will to change and evolve extends beyond simple dopamine activation. The brain involves complex neural networks that enable us to think creatively, solve problems, and generate new ideas.
Two major players in this process are the default mode network (DMN), a set of interconnected brain regions that become active when we're internally “locked-in” (day-dreaming, self-referential thoughts, recalling memories, etc.), and the central executive network (CEN), which becomes active when we’re externally “locked-in” (attention, problem-solving, decision-making, etc.). Beaty et al. (2018) found that the more creative (or curious…) the person, the greater the connectivity between their DMN and CEN, suggesting that open-mindedness, creativity, and innovation is expanded upon when a harmonious balance between the self and the environment is reached.
We cannot discuss this without mentioning neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections. In a never-ending loop from life until death, curiosity and exploration lead to novel challenges, ideas, and experiences perpetually rewiring the brain. This continuous creation of new neural pathways and strengthening of existing ones allows us to build upon the known to discover the unknown, both over the course of our individual lives and throughout the universe’s evolutionary history!
Additionally, the prefrontal cortex (PFC), where big-boy thinking takes place, plays a vital role in two key components of curiosity and exploration: abstract reasoning and hypothesis generation. A review of EEG (a continuous measure of electrical brain activity), ERP (time/event-specific segments of EEG data), and neuroimaging studies by Dietrich and Kanso (2010) shows that the PFC, with its ability to reason abstractly, make connections among disparate fields, and suppress habitual responses, is a crucial element in the brain’s capacity to explore, innovate, and change.
Cognitive Processes Driving Change and Adaptation
Now, let’s zoom out from the specific neural structures and discuss basic cognition. One impactful cognitive theory explaining our will to constantly change and adapt is the predictive coding framework. Neuroscientists like Andy Clark (2013) suggest that our brains are constantly generating predictions about the world (curiosity & hypotheses) and updating these predictions based on new sensory information (using the known to discover the unknown!). Basically, whenever we encounter something that goes against our expectations, it creates a prediction error. This contradiction between expectation and reality is a powerful driver of learning and adaptation. It forces our brains to continuously update their internal models of the world, much like a software update, driving cognitive change and leading to further updates (discoveries).
Additionally, two very simple cognitive systems that allow for constant discovery and change must be mentioned. First is cognitive flexibility, which allows us to switch between different mental states or strategies to move past old habits and explore new solutions to our problems. Second, working memory allows us to combine different pieces of information, consider multiple possibilities simultaneously, and mentally simulate potential outcomes. These two cognitive mechanisms assist the brain in filling its “information gap”, the perceived difference between what one knows and what one wants to know.
Concluding: The Endless Frontier of Discovery
All this is to say that learning and mystery are both required for survival purposes and plain ol’ fun! These individual neural processes have evolved over millions of years and continue to be the bedrock of collective cultural evolution and change. Thanks to the neural and cognitive mechanisms described, we have ever-evolving languages, technology, food, art, norms, and knowledge. We are constantly individually adapting how we perceive and interact with the world, which leads to a continuous collective adaptation as well. Born out of the ever-changing nature of life, curiosity and the will to evolve are an integral part of what it means to be human. More importantly, they are keys to the essence and evolution of life itself.
So, as Buzz Lightyear says, “To Infinity, and Beyond!”
Sources
Beaty, R. E., et al. (2018). Robust prediction of individual creative ability from brain functional connectivity. PNAS, 115(5), 1087-1092.
Clark, A. (2013). Whatever next? Predictive brains, situated agents, and the future of cognitive science. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 36(3), 181-204.
Dietrich, A., & Kanso, R. (2010). A review of EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies of creativity and insight. Psychological Bulletin, 136(5), 822-848.
Gruber, M. J., Gelman, B. D., & Ranganath, C. (2014). States of curiosity modulate hippocampus-dependent learning via the dopaminergic circuit. Neuron, 84(2), 486-496.
Kidd, C., & Hayden, B. Y. (2015). The psychology and neuroscience of curiosity. Neuron, 88(3), 449-460.
Lisman, J. E., & Grace, A. A. (2005). The hippocampal-VTA loop: Controlling the entry of information into long-term memory. Neuron, 46(5), 703-713.
