โThe Unbearable Slowness of Beingโ, 2024-08-03 (; similar)โ :
This article is about the neural conundrum behind the slowness of human behavior. The information throughput of a human being is about 10 bits/s. In comparison, our sensory systems gather data at an enormous rate, no less than 1 gigabits/s.
The stark contrast between these numbers remains unexplained. Resolving this paradox should teach us something fundamental about brain function: What neural substrate sets this low speed limit on the pace of our existence? Why does the brain need billions of neurons to deal with 10 bits/s? Why can we only think about one thing at a time?
We consider plausible explanations for the conundrum and propose new research directions to address the paradox between fast neurons and slow behavior.
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