How we work
From first principles to practice
In shortEverything here comes down to two moves: change what you expect, or act to make the world more predictable.
The idea
The brain and the body work so that what they meet does not catch them out. There are two ways to do that: change what you expect, or act on the world to make it more predictable and to test what you expect. Concrete things to do follow from this: finer words for what you feel, more ways of acting, preparing what comes next and trying one thing at a time.
What to try
- Words of your own for what you feel: invent names for states that keep coming back and note when they appear.
- A repertoire of actions: practise two or three responses to the hard situation when things are calm, before you need them.
- The same signal, different settings: compare a racing heart while running, while playing and before a test.
- Preview what comes next: the day before, say what will happen and in what order. Less surprise, less work for the body.
- One change at a time: try one thing for a week and note what happens, so you know what made the difference.
- Say the prediction out loud: ‘I think it will be hard because…’, and at the end of the day check whether it was.
- Look after the body budget: sleep, food, movement and breaks change how body signals are felt.
- Act in order to learn: sport, nature and hands-on tasks give new evidence that no conversation can.
The common mistake
Asking for change without giving new ways to act. Without practised alternatives, the old prediction stays the most likely one.
Want to know more?
Start here
Short, plain pieces by the researchers and good writers.
Books
The core book on the theory of constructed emotion: why emotions are constructed rather than set off.
See on Amazon ›Amazon links are affiliate links: if you buy, Bounded Uncertainty receives a small commission at no cost to you.
The science behind itHow strong the evidence is, the model, videos and references.
How strong the evidence is
A way of thinking A lens for interpreting what a child does, not a rule from trials.
References
- Friston, K. (2010). The free-energy principle: a unified brain theory? Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11(2), 127–138.
- Parr, T., Pezzulo, G., & Friston, K. J. (2022). Active Inference: The Free Energy Principle in Mind, Brain, and Behavior. MIT Press.
- Barrett, L. F. (2017). How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
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