Source: Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash Chances are you've used one of these phrases recently, perhaps even today: “I’ve got to reboot.” “I’m searching my memory banks.” “My brain needs an upgrade.” “I’m having a system crash.” “I’m processing.” When we use this language, we are analogizing our brains with computers. I want to consider how the computer metaphor for the brain influences our daily lives. Whether we realize it or not, our default assumption is that the way to understand and fix what our brains are doing is the same as how we understand and fix our computers. To some extent, this is justified since our brains do carry out computations to accomplish some tasks. The computer metaphor has guided neuroscience for more than half a century. It has helped spur important discoveries about fundamental brain processes, such as how the brain achieves visual perception. But we are at a point of diminishing returns. The computer metaphor is leading us … [Read more...] about Do You Really Need a Brain “Upgrade”?