Do not read further until you have watched the video below.

Whether you think you’ve seen this video or not … this version is guaranteed to blow your mind

As you’ve realized from the video…

We often don’t “see” what we’re looking at, rather we usually only see what we know and what we’re looking for.

So busy counting passes, many people miss the gorilla walking across the screen on their first view.  Being familiar with the experiment, I saw the gorilla, but was apparently blind to everything else – colour changes and missing players.

This is sometimes referred to as ‘perceptual blindness’ or ‘inattentional blindness’.

Missing things that are in “plain sight” may seem like a severe weakness…

However…

Hidden within this phenomenon lies a secret human power that very few people understand or leverage.

This ”hidden power” has been credited with changing many lives for the better; almost providing an ‘unfair advantage’ when used properly.

Want to discover your hidden power?  . . . click here . . .

Resources: wikipedia | ca.news.yahoo.com | i-perception.perceptionweb.com

Did you know that ¼ of the human brain is used to control the eyes?

The fact that the eyes hog so much of the brain’s resources illustrates the important part our eyes play in our day to day life.

What’s also interesting is the growth of the eyeball.  While the nose and ears are noticeably larger as an adult compared to an infant, the human eye grows a very small amount after birth and throughout life. 

In fact the eye is at 75% of its full grown size at birth.

The size of the human eye is usually around 1 inch wide, 1 inch deep and 0.9 inches tall.

In the animal world an ostrich eye is only two inches across, but it weighs more than its brain.

Most astonishing:

The “colossal squid” has the largest eyeball on the planet.  It often ranges between 12-16 inches across.

That’s roughly the size of a beach ball.

Resources: The Odd Body (Dr. Stephen Juan) | Wikipedia | Health.howstuffwork.com | uic.edu

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When the television was first invented and shared with the world, i’m sure it had people asking questions like:

 “How’d they get those pictures to show up on that ‘box’ through ‘them there wires’?”

Interesting question! But…

Far more complex than any man-made gadget is the fact that we can see anything at all. Have you ever thought about it?

Human vision is far more complex than any TV or digital camera.

Here’s an amazing example…

Did you know that the brain receives ‘upside-down’ images from the eye and then ‘flips’ the images over so we can function? 

Imagine how frustrating it would be always seeing everything upside-down! 

How on earth does the brain even know to flip it?

Some fascinating studies have been done where subjects wore special lenses that made the world appear “upside down” to the eye. 

Incredibly, after a period of adjustment, the subjects began to see the world ‘normally’ again. This suggests that the brain can be trained and that it somehow ‘knows’ how we need to be seeing things.

In some cases when the glasses were finally removed, the subjects had to deal with some discomfort while allowing the brain to adjust back to normal vision.

Source: Wikipedia , ehow

Remember that time when you were in an unexplainably great mood, feeling totally energized and seeing the world through rose-coloured glasses?  How great would it be if we could recreate that experience at the push of a button?

Enter:  “Serotonin”.   In most simple terms, serotonin is a molecule produced in the brain – The levels of serotonin that are released by our brain cells have an important impact on the mood we are in. 

Yes, exercise and certain foods are said to have an influence on these levels, but…

What is the Happiness Multiplier?

Acts of Kindness!

Studies have shown that when someone performs an act of kindness, the serotonin level of giver and receiver increases.

Even more astonishing is this:  A third party who simply witnesses an act of kindness also is affected.

In other words:

If Billy drops his books and Betty comes to help pick them up while Bobby is watching on the street corner, all 3 are very likely to experience an increase in serotonin.

 “Kindness is never wasted. If it has no effect on the recipient, at least it benefits the bestower.” (S.H. Simmons)

Sources: “The Power of Intention (Dr. Wayne Dyer)

We’ve all seen it – That ‘maniac’ bolting down the highway, cell phone wedged between head and shoulder, shaving with one hand and shoving a donut down his throat with the other. All that’s left for his knee to do is steer the 4500 pounds of rusted metal away from the “reckless drivers” out there.

Arguably he ‘is’ multi-tasking…but how effective is he at any of those tasks?

Try this fun challenge…

Sitting in a chair, lift your right foot off the ground and start making clockwise circles.  While doing this, draw the number “6” with your right hand.

What happens?  The brain just doesn’t want to let both happen.

Plenty of research has been done on the brain and the extent to which we can focus on 2 things at once.  In simple terms, studies are suggesting that when we perform 2 demanding tasks at the same time, we do neither one as well as we would do each alone.

Sources: New York Times | NeuroImage Journal (Dr. Marcel Just)

Some experts estimate that the human brain can have up to 60,000 thoughts per day.

So, if we shift our brains into the highest gear, it would mean our minds are wandering at a dizzying speed of 2500 TPH (Thoughts Per Hour).  That’s 42 Thoughts per Minute!

Probably more important than mere quantity of thoughts is the quality of thoughts we have on a daily basis.

The quality of our thoughts is said to impact many parts of our life. Everything from our stress levels and general health to the progress we make in our professional lives and relationships.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it:

“Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny. “

Sources: drpokea.com (Dr. Darryl Pokea)

Did you know that it only takes 17 muscles to smile, yet it takes a total of 43 muscles to frown?

Who would have ever predicted such a difference!

So, all muscles being of equal strength, it is 2 ½ times easier to smile than to frown.

Here is another startling insight about smiling…

Studies have shown that by managing our expression we can, to some extent, manage our mood and our mind.

Have you ever tried to think genuinely angry thoughts while smiling?

When you try it you will find that it throws a monkey-wrench into the process – indicating that we can and do play some psychological tricks on ourselves.

Some fitness trainers have actually suggested that gruelling physical exercise would be (or at least ‘feel’) easier if our face were relaxed as opposed to stressed and grimacing.  After all, flexing 43 face muscles does about as much for a bicep curl as honking your horn does in a traffic jam: Not much…except maybe confirm or  magnify the pain of the situation.

Sources: “The Odd Body” (Dr. Stephen Juan) | Time.com (Jan.16/2009)