12 phenomena to which Psychology cannot give an answer

The human mind is a complex reality. Psychology was born in order to study this reality, as well as the different elements and processes that make it possible for us to be who and how we are.

However, there are different physical and psychic phenomena that even today remain a mystery to this discipline. Therefore, below we present twelve phenomena to which psychology cannot respond today.

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A dozen phenomena not yet resolved by psychology

Below we present some questions that for the moment have not been able to be explained by psychology, being many of them in the process of investigation by different professionals.

1. What produces our self-consciousness and our subjectivity?

The knowledge of being oneself, of having conscience and own identity and independent of the rest of stimuli that surround us, is a well-known phenomenon and studied by sciences such as psychology.

However, it remains unclear what it produces or from what specific structures this self-knowledge is born

, which we share with other species such as crows, some primates or dolphins.

2. What happens to our mind when we die?

Death is and has always been one of the great mysteries that human beings have tried to explain from different perspectives.. We know that at the moment of death the nervous system, along with the rest of the body's systems, ceases to function. However, we still do not know the mental processes that take place during the last moments of life.

Although the brain functioning of a dying individual can be explored by means of neuroimaging, we would only be observing the physiological correlate of the processes followed. This aspect can also be worked from subjects with near-death experiences or who have been clinically dead for a few moments before being revived.

3. Is it possible to create a machine with consciousness?

Finding and creating a artificial intelligence It is an element that has always aroused great interest, both on a literary and scientific level. Today we know that it is possible to make a machine perform certain learning from the acquisition of particular patterns of observation, but it remains unknown whether it is possible to create something that is aware of itself same.

It is possible that we program something so that it appears to have consciousness but in reality it is limited to exercising preprogrammed actions.

4. Can our mind be transferred to another body?

It may sound like science fiction, but there are currently projects underway that raise the possibility of transferring a person's mind to artificial bodies that they need not fear aging or disease. Although the first step is to transplant a brain into an artificial body, it is intended that in the long run the mind and personality of an individual or an artificial brain can be transmitted or even to the net.

However, is this possible? And even if it worked, would it be the same mind transported to another body or would the mind die? first to then create a second with the same memories and tastes, as if it were a clone?

5. What is the origin of Alzheimer's?

One of the most common and increasingly common causes of dementia, Alzheimer disease it is among the barriers that science has not yet been able to deal with. Although it is approximately known how the disease works and the multiple factors that predispose it, it is not yet known exactly (although genetic causes are suspected) why it occurs. In fact, at the moment they have failed all the attempts to develop drugs that end up with the amyloid plaques that appear in the brain under the effects of this disease.

Knowing its exact origin could allow us to work towards a solution to this disease. It is a serious problem that psychology, neuropsychology and medicine are trying to solve.

6. To what limits can the mind affect the body?

Today most people know what the Placebo effect, thanks to which a sick person can improve in certain aspects thanks to the belief that taking a product or carrying out an activity will help them improve. It is basically a phenomenon of suggestion that causes the brain to generate internal changes through the release of hormones.

Also, an individual's mental state can greatly alter her immune system and cause it to either become worse or otherwise strengthened. face to fight against different problems, such as depression or anxiety and certain problems (ulcers, viruses or even cancer). All this makes us wonder where the limits are. It is clear that having a positive mindset will not cure a serious illness, but to what extent can the mind affect the body and how can be stimulated in order to prolong the well-being, capacities and quality of life of an individual continues to be a topic of great interest scientific.

7. Is there a limit to our memory?

Throughout our lives we are constantly receiving, processing and retaining information. We know that aspects such as our working memory have a certain limit when it comes to operating with different stimuli at the same time, but, Does the same thing happen with the ability to store memories?

If our life expectancy increased unlimitedly, would there be a time when we would not be able to record new information?

8. What is it that makes some people claim to see the aura or energy of others?

There are a lot of people who claim to be able to see the energy or aura of others. In some cases this may be an attempt to manipulate others or even the effect of suggestion., but in others, people have a real perception of said phenomenon.

Although the most plausible hypothesis is the presence of synesthesia, in which the perception of people can be colored by aspects referring to other perceptual modalities or different dimensions of the same sensory modality (for example, they perceive a color when hearing a sound), it is a phenomenon that has not yet been completed. explain.

9. What makes the brain of the so-called "super elderly" not age in the same way as the rest of the population?

The majority of the population, as they age, gradually lose physical and mental faculties. With age, the brain begins to shrink, losing strength in its synaptic connections and causing capacities such as attention and memory capacity to be reduced. It costs us more to learn and in general we are slower and less plastic.

However, while it is a very rare condition, there are some individuals whose rate of brain aging is much lower than average, being able to have a performance similar to that of his youth. These individuals are referred to as "super-elders," and research continues to this day into what causes their brains to maintain such high performance for so long.

10. How does intuition work?

Many times we have the feeling of being reasonably sure of something for which in principle we do not have sufficient evidence and that in fact do not follow a logical or rational course. This sensation, this non-rational knowledge, is what we call intuition..

Although various theories have been launched indicating that intuition is due to the unconscious perception of the information present in the environment, or that is generated through the accumulation of experiences, there is still no clear basis that indicates how this ability.

11. Why do mental disorders appear?

One of the most outstanding areas of psychology is the one that deals with the presence of mental problems and disorders. The origin of these problems can have very diverse causes, and it is common for there to be a biological predisposition that emerges after experiencing specific situations throughout development.

However, although sometimes we can see what has triggered them, the existence of elements that facilitate their appearance and others that difficult (for example, personality, beliefs, experience or the physiological constitution itself) and despite the fact that we have numerous techniques and procedures to help patients recover, it is still not entirely clear why they occur in some people and not in others.

12. How does synchronicity work?

The concept of synchronicity was created by Jung with the purpose of referring to those situations that, without having a probable causal relationship, happen in a concatenated way as if they were related. This relationship has meaning and meaning for the observer, despite the fact that it seems to be the result of chance.

For example, meeting someone you were thinking of moments before on the street, or dreaming of a specific stimulus that appears by chance the next day. However, psychology has not yet been able to determine the meaning and operation of this concept.