How a Simple Gorilla Experiment Uncovered the Hidden Gaps in Our Perception

How can a gorilla walk through a room without you noticing?

Brace yourself for a mind-bending journey through the Invisible Gorilla Experiment, a fascinating study by psychologists Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons.

We'll reveal why nearly half of the people who watch a simple basketball video miss a person in a gorilla suit strolling through the scene. 

This episode will make you question your attention and awareness and uncover how this phenomenon, known as inattentional blindness, can impact everything from driving safety to your relationships.

Join us as we break down the real-world implications of this eye-opening experiment and share actionable tips to boost your awareness. 

We'll explore how mindfulness practices endorsed by Harvard Medical School, like meditation and deep breathing, can elevate your attention and enrich your daily life. 

Also, don't miss our discussion on active observation techniques, which can transform your engagement with the world around you. 

Get ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about your perception and discover how to stay truly present in every moment.

Transcript

Dai Manuel: 0:06

Hey there, 2% Collective, it's me, don Manuel, back with another episode of the 2% Pollution Podcast. And guess what? Today we're diving headfirst into something genuinely mesmerizing the Invisible Gorilla Experiment and what it teaches us about our worldview. Gorilla experiment and what it teaches us about our world view. Yep, we're about to embark on a wild ride into the heart of human perception, all thanks to the mind-blowing invisible gorilla experiment. This experiment challenged everything we thought we knew and flipped our understanding of attention and awareness on its head. We'll be examining the core of our understanding of ourselves and our interactions with the world around us. This episode will delve deep into how this experiment impacts everything from psychology to law enforcement, from education to business strategies. So buckle up, because we're about to shake up your world perspective and make you rethink everything you thought you knew about your own awareness. Trust me, this isn't your average experiment. This is the one that changed the game. Sometimes we think we've got a handle on everything around us, but let's be honest, it's often a completely different story. I've had times when I was so zoned in on something that I completely missed out on something important happening right beside me. Have you ever had something like that happen to you. That's exactly what we're chatting about in today's episode. So let's dive in to the invisible gorilla experiment. To the invisible gorilla experiment.

Dai Manuel: 1:44

So there was these two psychologists, christopher Chabris and Daniel Simmons, and they devised this mind bender of an experiment. They had folks watch a video of people tossing a basketball around and the task was to count how many times the players in the white t-shirts passed the ball. Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Pretty easy. Well, here's the fun part Halfway through the clip, a person in a gorilla suit strolls into the scene, beats their chest like King Kong and then walks out of scene. You'd think it'd be impossible to miss that, but, believe it or not, about half the people watching missed it, and this has been repeated again and again.

Dai Manuel: 2:31

This is something called inattentional blindness. We're so laser focused on one thing that we totally miss something else, even when it's as obvious as a gorilla in the room. This experiment showed us a few things about our attention. The good news Our brains are pretty fantastic at zeroing in and focusing on a singular task. Now, the not-so-good news we can miss out on big stuff happening right under our noses. And what's the downright ugly of this experiment? Well, this lack of awareness can mean we miss critical details, leading to misunderstandings and mistakes, especially in times when it really matters. So what's the real world impact of this whole inattentional blindness thing? It's more than just a funky psychology term. It has some serious real-life consequences.

Dai Manuel: 3:27

So imagine you're driving, totally absorbed in the directions on your GPS, and you totally miss a pedestrian crossing the street. That's inattentional blindness in action. We see this a lot. I mean, there's a big reason why they've made it illegal to be texting or using your phone while you're driving. Research from the American Psychological Association tells us that distractions and a lack of awareness like this can lead to more mistakes in our job and our day-to-day lives. Yikes.

Dai Manuel: 4:04

And hey, let's not forget about the personal side of things. Ever been so locked into your phone or lost in your own thoughts that you missed a loved one's emotional cue? Maybe they were hinting at something going wrong on their day and you completely missed the opportunity to dive in and be present for them in the moment. That's inattentional blindness again, and it's a reminder that being present and aware is crucial for building strong and meaningful relationships. Now how about we chat about kicking up our awareness and putting that blindness in the rear view mirror.

Dai Manuel: 4:37

Mindfulness, my friends, is where it's at. You've heard me mention this on many episodes in the past and I'm going to mention it again, because did you know that Harvard Medical School has studies showing mindfulness can really crank up our attention as well as our understanding? Something as simple as little meditation or deep breathing can anchor a smack dab into the present moment. And don't forget about active observation. That's a game changer. Ever try to consciously pick up on new things and places you know, like the back of your hand. Maybe it's tuning into the sounds around you or spotting details that you've never noticed before. Cognitive psychology is telling us that upping our focus can help us spot those invisible gorillas we keep chatting about. And here's a little secret Small changes, small changes like 2% changes to your daily routine can seriously boost your situational awareness. The Journal of Experimental Psychology tells us that habits like taking a breather now and then to just simply recalibrate your thoughts can cut down on distractions while supercharging your overall awareness. Now, that's pretty cool.

Dai Manuel: 5:50

Right Now, if I get real for a second, I want to share a story about a guy I knew. This man was so engrossed in his work that he missed his little girl taking her first steps. Can you imagine that that moment shook him literally to his core, and it was also a wake-up call. He realized he needed to be more in the moment, especially for family. Now does that sound familiar? I think we can all take a page from his book. Now does that sound familiar? I think we can all take a page from his book.

Dai Manuel: 6:27

Being fully present in our lives is vital not only to our own quality of life, but also that great sense of fulfillment, happiness and joy that we're all looking to attain with these beautiful lives that we choose to live. Here's the thing. Science backs this up too. More research from our friends Shabrie and Simons reveals that our attention span is more limited than we think. So we need to train ourselves to be more observant and present. We don't want to miss those big life moments. So that's a wrap.

Dai Manuel: 6:56

Today, my fellow collective Don't forget this invisible gorilla experiment we've been chatting about shows us how often we overlook the obvious because we are not fully tuned in Adding mindfulness, some active observation, while also shaking up our routines, can boost our awareness and connect us with the world around us. Awareness and connect us with the world around us. If you haven't seen that cool little experiment, the video. Go to the show notes. I've left a link that will link you directly to that experiment, so you can see the same video that all those people saw where they didn't see the gorilla. Now, keep in mind, this experiment's been done numerous times over and if you do some searches on the YouTube, you'll see that there's lots of different versions of this and, funny enough, they all seem to prove the same thing. When we are focused on one thing and really dialed into that thing, man, we become completely oblivious to the world happening around us. But you know what? It's all good, because now we have some ideas on how to bring us back to reality and in present.

Dai Manuel: 8:04

And before we say goodbye, I want to give you, our listeners, a big shout out. It's your feedback, your stories and your ideas that keeps this podcast moving forward. I'm keen to hear what topics you want me to tackle and who you'd like to bring on to the show. This podcast is about serving you, so please don't be shy. You can reach out via the social channels, like the Instagram, the Facebook, the TikToks and all those other platforms, or just rolled out a new feature with the podcast where, if you go to the show notes. There's a link there that says, hey, shoot me a text. Literally, that sends a text message right to my phone, and so if you click on that little button, it will pop up a little window. Send me a message that comes right to me. You have a suggestion, a recommendation, some feedback, some thoughts? Do you have a story that you'd like to tell? Well, please shoot me a message. I'd love to hear from you.

Dai Manuel: 9:06

And if you got something good out of this episode, can you do me a favor? Drop a review, maybe a subscribe, all right, or just share this with somebody that maybe needs to hear this today. All right, maybe this is that little nudge to that uh life partner of yours to say, hey, yo be more present. You, you know, take a listen to this. I think my wife will probably send this episode back to me for future listening, cause I think many of the times when I record these episodes, just so you all know, it's something that I need to know for myself very much, and it's funny how that works, right? Ah, anyways, here's a little nugget to take with you Keep pushing your limits, stay positive and aim to improve yourself, even if it's just 2% every single day. I'm Diamond Well and you've been tuning in to the 2% Solution Podcast. Let's keep growing and thriving together and until next time, stay sharp, stay present and watch for those invisible gorillas.