A team of researchers at Caltech has attempted to quantify the speed of human thought, estimating it to be a mere 10 bits of information per second. To put this into perspective, one average download speed in the US is around 93 megabits per second. This raises questions about how our brains manage to process an enormous amount of sensory data from our environment while conscious thoughts operate at such a slow pace.
According to the researchers, human thought is not directly related to the “bits” seen in everyday computing, which refer to binary digits with two values (one or zero). Instead, information and data are distinct concepts. The brain processes vast amounts of sensory data, estimated to be 109 bits per second, but our conscious thoughts process this information at a much slower rate.
The researchers used various tasks, such as typing, playing Tetris, and solving Rubix Cubes, to estimate the speed of human thought. They found that most tasks take place at a similar slow rate, around 10 bits per second. This surprising result has implications for brain-computer interfaces and our understanding of human cognition.
The team suggests that our brains are adapted to process information in a way that allows us to survive despite operating at a relatively slow pace. They propose that the 10 bits per second is sufficient for survival, as it only becomes necessary in worst-case situations where our environment changes rapidly.
However, this estimate also raises more questions than answers. The researchers point out that our peripheral nervous system can absorb information from the environment at much higher rates (on the order of gigabits per second), creating a paradox between the slow pace of human behavior and the vast amount of sensory data we receive.
The study’s findings are published in the journal Neuron, providing an avenue for further exploration into the mysteries of human cognition.
Source: https://www.iflscience.com/the-speed-of-human-thought-estimated-at-a-puzzling-10-bits-per-second-77389