Mind games

Think you control your choices? Science says think again

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We like to think we’re in control of our choices, but free will may be more illusion than reality. From brain chemistry to social conditioning, powerful forces shape our behavior long before we become aware of them. While there is still room for change and spontaneous decisions, we are often "hijacked" by unconscious processes. Here are 10 factors that make us more predictable than we might think.

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Just like a quick-draw gunslinger, the brain knows what to do long before we consciously decide to act. Neuroscientist Benjamin Libet’s famous experiments in the 1980s showed that brain activity spikes before a person becomes aware of their decision to move.

In these studies, participants were asked to flex their wrists at random moments. Their brains exhibited a "readiness potential"—a buildup of neural activity—up to 500 milliseconds before they reported having made the decision to move. This suggests that the brain initiates actions before the conscious mind "decides."

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According to some scientists, genetic makeup may influence many personal characteristics—from impulsivity to political beliefs—effectively narrowing the kinds of decisions we're likely to make.

This doesn’t mean our genes entirely shackle us, but they do seem to play a significant role in shaping personality. Twin studies have shown that traits such as risk-taking, patience, and even religiosity may have heritable components.

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Though it may seem obvious, early environments—such as nutrition, stress levels, and parenting—play a powerful role in shaping neural development and future decision-making ability.

Children raised in poverty or wartime conditions show differences in prefrontal cortex development, changes that might affect life choices for decades.

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Certain "pleasure chemicals" in the brain—especially dopamine—can heavily steer decision-making without conscious input.

When we anticipate a reward, dopamine surges in brain regions like the striatum, which are involved in evaluating actions and outcomes. This biases us toward actions with immediate gratification—even when we "know better."

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Once formed, habits bypass conscious deliberation and begin to operate automatically.

Research shows up to 40% of daily actions are driven by habit. The basal ganglia stores these patterns, allowing us to function on autopilot without making active choices.

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Patients with severed corpus callosums reveal how the brain constructs post-hoc justifications for actions.

In split-brain studies, when one hemisphere initiates an action, the other often makes up a reason for it, demonstrating that we sometimes confabulate explanations rather than make fully conscious, deliberate choices.

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Sometimes, messages received below conscious awareness can still affect behavior.

In controlled studies, priming participants with certain words or images—such as "elderly" or "money"—can alter their actions and choices, even though they don’t realize it happened.

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We’re wired to mimic others, often without realizing it. While this begins as a survival trait linked to learning in early childhood, its powerful influence can shape our behavior later in life.

First discovered in monkeys and later observed in humans, mirror neurons fire when we see others perform actions. This automatic imitation affects behavior, learning, and even emotional responses—all without conscious intention.

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The more choices we make, the worse our judgment tends to become over time.

For example, studies have shown that judges are more likely to grant parole early in the day. By afternoon, mental exhaustion sets in, and denial rates spike.

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Culture shapes our values, desires, and what choices are considered acceptable from birth onward.

Whether you believe in individualism or collectivism, what foods you enjoy, or how you define success—all these are shaped by your cultural environment long before conscious reasoning takes hold.

Don’t believe everything you see

Busted! 12 Hollywood myths that are totally fake

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Yes, we know it’s hard to believe, but sometimes movies are a little less than truthful. Jokes aside, Hollywood often bends the facts—or completely makes them up—to create the magic we see on the screen. Over time, however, these movie tricks have shaped our perceptions of the world, sometimes without us even realizing it. From cars exploding on impact to silent guns, join us as we set the record straight on some of the most pervasive Hollywood myths.

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Hollywood silencers reduce gunfire to a whisper, but real suppressors only lower the volume by about 20–35 decibels—still as loud as a jackhammer! Even the most advanced modern suppressors can’t make a gun silent.

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Cars in movies erupt into massive fireballs, but in reality, car explosions are extremely rare, even in violent crashes. Gasoline burns rather than detonates, meaning it needs very specific conditions to create an explosion.

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Sci-fi films show laser beams cutting through the air, but real lasers are invisible unless particles scatter the light—as when there is dust, fog, or smoke in the atmosphere.

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Movies depict quicksand as a bottomless death trap, but it’s not nearly that dangerous. Real quicksand is a mix of sand, water, and clay that becomes unstable under pressure. While people can sink up to their waists, the human body is too buoyant to be fully submerged.

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In movies, defibrillators bring people back to life, but this is not the case in real life. Defibrillators correct irregular heart rhythms like ventricular fibrillation, not cardiac arrest.

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Movies show characters picking locks effortlessly, but real lockpicking is much harder and takes time. Even skilled locksmiths require specialized tools and patience.

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In movies, chloroform knocks victims unconscious in seconds, but in reality, it takes several minutes. Even then, the person may wake up quickly. It’s not a foolproof knockout drug, and improper use can be fatal.

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Action heroes crash through glass unharmed, but real glass shards cause serious injuries. Movie glass, called "sugar glass," is designed to break easily. Real tempered or laminated glass can cause deep cuts and is much harder to break without tools.

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Hollywood hackers break into systems instantly, but real hacking takes time and skill. Movie portrayals of rapid keystrokes and instant access are wildly unrealistic, as real hacking involves a ton of research, coding, and persistence.

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Characters in movies fly backward when shot, but real gunfire doesn’t generate that force. Newton’s Third Law states that for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. If bullets knocked people down, the shooter would be thrown back with equal force.

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Movies show characters dropping unconscious from a single punch, but real fights don’t work that way. A single punch may stun someone, but it’s unlikely to cause instant unconsciousness unless it hits a critical nerve or causes a concussion.

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Action heroes crawl through air vents with ease, but real vents aren’t built for that. Most air ducts can’t support a person’s weight. They’re made from thin metal and are too small for comfortable movement.