Your Brain on Autopilot

Here is a brain thing that occurs on autopilot and it sure surprised this skeptic!

How it happens

• Sit in a chair and lift your right leg to a comfortable level. You do not have to raise your leg very high, just enough for your foot to clear the floor.

• Now, begin rotating your right foot in a clockwise-circular motion, and at the same time with your right hand, sketch an invisible number 6 in the air.

When you do this, your brain will automatically tell your foot to move in the opposite direction (counter-clockwise.) After a few tries you may be able to activate the manual switch in your brain and counteract this autopilot activity. Then again, maybe you will not be able to. I know that in 10 tries my foot still moved counter-clockwise when I drew the 6 in the air with my right hand, although my foot was initially moving in a clockwise direction. Try it and see what happens when you do.