Familiarity

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Our brains rely on familiar patterns to keep us alive (home base, routes to food, shapes and colours, etc) but did you know that your brain will actually favour familiarity over safety?Familiar pain is often chosen over safety in an unknown setting! Patterns and environments with which we’re comfortable help to shape how we see the world. Think about your adorable Comfort Zone! Have you questioned any of these comfortable and familiar beliefs lately? Lisa Feldman Barrett talks about how familiarity (and essentialism) are actually impeding scientific research: “Essentialism is the belief that familiar categories — dogs and cats, space and time, emotions and thoughts — each have an underlying essence that makes them what they are. The belief in these essences, and the search for them in nature, is a giant misdirection that hampers scientific progress. In [the] fields of psychology and neuroscience, essentialism is still widespread. A well-known example is the search for areas in the human brain that are dedicated to each emotion. Originally, scientists assumed that each emotion lived in a specific brain region (e.g., that fear occurs in the amygdala). There’s now plenty of evidence, however, that each so-called “emotional” brain region increases its activity for many mental functions. The amygdala is not just engaged during fear or even emotion, and sometimes not even in fear.” 🤯🤯🤯 This concept is behind every single one of my “plants, but in other colours” pieces. The recognition of known shapes (plants) combined with brain-boosting saturated colours, force our minds to find new shapes and pathways through these pieces! It’s an Amber Ozols Art signature! Check your familiarity often, friends! Discover new things! Shake up your views!🧠🕵🏻‍♀️