#72: Mind Reading and Brain Hacking

Scientists say your brain is like a super computer. If we can hack computers, can we hack someone's brain? In a way, we already can read minds, which a step toward brain hacking... Well, some people can read minds. For instance, there are people who can read facial expressions to tell us, in a way, what we're thinking. For instance, there's a "magician" who can tell you to pick a card out of a deck. You look at the card, and he recites all the different possibilities of suits the card you picked might have. If your card is a Ten of Hearts, for instance, then you will make a subtle facial movement that even you can't detect, but the magician will, and that tells him your card is in the heart suit. Then he will recite the different numbers that the card could possibly be, and when he says ten, your face will make a subtle movement again, and he'll know the card is a ten. In a way, that's mind reading. Also, some people are very good at reading facial expressions and manipulation. I know one person in particular who is really good at assuming thins. So she will tell you something happened to you like she knows for a fact that it happened, but she's really only assuming, and your facial expression or what you say back to her gives you away, and she then knows if her assumption was correct or not.

But that's not what we really mean by wanting to read minds. We mean we want to be able to literally hear other people's thoughts, like Edward Cullen on Twilight. Actually, there might be a way for a computer to measure the neuron activity in your head and, thereby, put together a series of thoughts that you are thinking. For instance, there is a computer that you can hook up to yourself, and according to what you are thinking, a huge spiral of words are transferred to the computer screen. Then the computer puts together the words that you're thinking and then project an image based on a compilation of those words. How cool is that? There is also a kind of technology that we can hook up to people who can't speak, and whatever they think comes out of the machine in words. This gives people who can't speak the ability to communicate. That's really freaking cool too!

So if we can essentially read minds, how long will it take for us to figure out how to hack people's brains? I mean, in a way, we're already doing it. Ads, propaganda, and subliminal messages are highly influential. There are also really good salespeople who are very convincing. And for instance, I know someone who is really good at manipulating people into thinking a certain way and doing certain things, just based on what he says and how he says it. So there are certain people who can, in a way, hack brains and change people's thoughts and way of thinking. However, will we one day be able to REALLY hack the brain and change people's thoughts? Check out this article: http://www.csoonline.com/article/715359/brain-could-be-target-for-hackers-researchers-show. It talks about how you can use a neuron device to track brain signals, thereby, in a way, letting the viewer see the guinea pig's thoughts.

So what does this mean for us? Well, like the article says, there may be ways for criminals to access your social security number, credit card number, and other personal information if they are able to hack your brain. So be careful! You never know what kind of danger is coming in the future - especially if it becomes easier to hack the brain. And let me just say that I think it's a horrible idea to want to read someone's mind. Because yes, you might be able to tell when a guy thinks you're cute, and that might make you smile. But what about all the negative things people think about you? You don't want to hear that all day every day. That crap would get old, and you'd probably become depressed and hate yourself. And let's hope people don't end up having the ability to change our thoughts. I don't want anyone messing around in my brain.

I got most of this information from the brain hacking episode of Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman. You should check out the entire episode. It has way more information and details, and it's really interesting.

Brain hacking technology.