Your Brain: Who’s in Control? | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS

1. 

   @atTHEendNOTHINGmatters

   August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

   I am having a dream one night , like a horrible dream which scared me but surprising thing is I am knowing that it is a dream and want to escape as soon as possible from that dream like things are happening with mee I am getting scared as we use to be in real life but simultaneously I am knowing that it should be a dream please it should be a dream and I am just trying to escape from it and suddenly I woke up and it's like ohhhh it is really a dream like kinda thing when we expecting something to be like that but don't it will like there is possibility that it can be something contrary also but when we found out that ohhh it's actually what we are thinking , expecting or wanting and we get kind of relaxed same I am feeling I woke up 🤷🤷 sooo what is this

2. 

   @Cyrusmagi

   August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

   Nothing new here. Still just geography!

3. 

   @courtneyyandell6637

   August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

   God is so AMAZING AND AWESOME!!! Love the video 😻 I wish people still made docs like this.

4. 

   @LoganWalker-l7w

   August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

   your brain has been brainwashed by the media

5. 

   @BìnhMinhNhà

   August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

   The balance between free will and brain activity is thought-provoking. It raises deep questions about human behavior.

6. 

   @apparentbeing

   August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

   Are you a subject or an object?

7. 

   @secretlover25

   August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

   Your videos never fail to inspire me! ✨ Thanks for this one, it’s absolutely fantastic and uplifting!

8. 

   @SurjyaKakoti

   August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

   Thank you for this documantary . I larned a lot from this vidio .

9. 

   @SnipletPro

   August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

   Key moments and timestamps:

   Control and Consciousness
   
   [0:20] Brain operates largely unconsciously, most actions occur without awareness.
   [0:58] Consciousness is not an all-or-nothing state, it varies in degrees.
   
   [1:05] Illusion of a singular self, multiple processes influence behavior.

   Sleepwalking and Unconscious Actions
   
   [3:28] Sleepwalking exemplifies complex behaviors executed without conscious control.
   
   [6:14] During sleep, certain brain regions remain active while others do not, leading to actions without self-awareness.
   
   [7:01] Prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision-making, remains inactive during sleepwalking.

   Anesthesia and Consciousness
   
   [9:01] Anesthesia profoundly alters consciousness, leading to a lack of awareness and memory.
   
   [11:21] Brain wave activity changes significantly under anesthesia, indicating a loss of conscious processing.
   
   [12:40] Thalamus plays a crucial role in processing sensory information, its disruption can lead to unconsciousness.

   Split-Brain Phenomenon
   
   [14:28] Split-brain patients exhibit two independent hemispheres, each capable of different functions.
   
   [15:19] Communication between hemispheres is severed, leading to distinct behaviors and responses.
   
   [20:14] Experiments reveal that each hemisphere can process information differently, leading to conflicting actions.

   Influence of Emotions and Social Interactions
   
   [25:36] Emotions significantly impact decision-making, feelings of guilt can drive cooperative behavior.
   
   [24:56] Social context shapes individual behavior, expectations from others influence choices.
   
   [26:09] Brain regions like the insula are involved in processing emotional responses and guiding decisions.

   Impact of Trauma and Environment
   
   [30:06] Traumatic experiences can alter brain biology and influence future generations.
   
   [31:47] Research shows that environmental factors can change gene expression, affecting behavior and responses.
   
   [32:20] Studies on mice demonstrate how trauma can lead to biological changes passed down to offspring.

   Agency and Decision-Making
   
   [36:11] Sense of agency can be manipulated, individuals may misinterpret their control over actions.
   [40:44] Feedback from actions influences the perception of agency, conscious control can be fragile.
   
   [41:02] Experiments show that even when individuals initiate movements, they may not feel responsible for them.

   Creativity and the Brain
   
   [46:11] Creative processes often involve letting go of conscious control, allowing for spontaneous actions.
   
   [48:03] Deactivation of the prefrontal cortex during improvisation can enhance performance.
   
   [48:27] Overthinking can hinder creativity, practice and relaxation are key to effective performance.

10. 

    @astroVerselab

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    Amazing 😮😮😮

11. 

    @charlesdarwin5185

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    Well he doesn't understand secondary brain injury. Somehow they managed to deliver enough oxygen for your brain to heal.

12. 

    @charlesdarwin5185

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    Markov process is used.

13. 

    @peterverhelst95

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    So the theory is that it is the communication between the parts of the brain that produce consciousness and therefore personality I would venture to say that perhaps explains changes in the personality of the TBI survivor. I suffered a TBI almost 40 years ago. All of my siblings and my mother claimed that I had personality changes. Since some segments of my brain suffered damage it would seem to me that communication with those segments would be compromised! Just thinking out loud.

14. 

    @OKinMedia

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    I have always had significant ADHD. In my 40's diagnosed Dyslexic. This helped me understand some of my learning challenges, reading difficulties.
    I've always been quick-witted, a joker, comedic- improve performer.
    I got a concussion in an auto accident a year ago.
    Everything changed, my Rx for ADHD quit working, and my executive function is out of control. Either not working, repeating like a loop or skipping like a record.
    It has really interrupted my brain patterns, function, etc. I'm NOT quick-witted anymore. I get stuck and forget basic words now. It is literally like I'm a different person, even though I am trying hard to get back to (my version) of normal.
    This program makes sense and is super interesting. Many parts seem like clues to what has happened. Especially the parts about trauma and free agency & the distortions and alterations due to outside influences.
    Hopefully I will find my way back to "normal", because I'm not happy like this.
    Thanks again for this program PBS, and contributors. 😊
    I found it helpful. Hope others did too.

15. 

    @Terra-l3w

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    The part between my legs kinda runs the show

16. 

    @Frases_bíblicas87

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    Hello guys, does anyone want to learn more about Brazil? About culture, about food and everything? Get in touch. Aguardo vocês!!!

17. 

    @parmanandsawant1

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    51:28 कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन : You have the right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions

18. 

    @parmanandsawant1

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    51:48 meditation

19. 

    @SUSCRIBE-ME-KRISH

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    awesome

20. 

    @ramveer_gurjar-y5f

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    Right now, there are people all over the world who are just like you. They're either lonely, they're missing somebody, they're depressed, they're hurt, they're scarred from the past, they're having personal issues no one knows about, they have secrets you wouldn't believe. They wish, they dream and they hope. And right now, they are sitting here reading these words, and I'm writing this for you so you don’t feel alone anymore. What really helped me start overcoming the pain and actually move toward my goals was reading Manifest the Unseen by Luna Rivers, it opened my eyes in ways I didn’t expect. Always remember, don’t be depressed about the past, don’t worry about the future, and just focus on today. ❤

21. 

    @SandeepKumar-h2j4t

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    need to share this because it changed everything. was stuck in the same patterns for years – overthinking, self-doubt, feeling blocked. heard about this book Manifest the Unseen by Luna Rivers in a podcast and the quantum physics approach to manifestation finally made things click. 3 weeks after reading: noticed synchronicities everywhere, opportunities flowing naturally, and my mindset completely shifted. if you're feeling stuck like i was, the frequency alignment method in this book works. still amazed at how different life feels

22. 

    @HalimaAhmed-y9b

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    So many people praised this book Manifest the Unseen by Luna Rivers that I finally had to see for myself. No regrets whatsoever this book genuinely opened my eyes. Manifestation finally makes sense, and the changes Ive experienced are incredible. It deserves all the recommendations its getting!

23. 

    @syedazmat2578

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    nice!💫💰

24. 

    @Ponzuu28

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    How does this effect the brain and developing Bipolar 1 in your 20’s ? Was it always there and something woke it up maybe autism too? I would love to know 😢

25. 

    @Wizardofthemarkets

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    When i was in my third year of highschool i used to wonder where exactly is the beginning off all thoughts that we have. When we think of building something or creating something, where exactly does that come from?.I came to find what i believe is the only answer or very close to it in my latter year of university.

26. 

    @DanteGabriel-lx9bq

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    The split brain phenomenon has to be the most interesting thing I've found out after Savant syndrome about the brain.

27. 

    @Noone-h8s

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    I believe Robert Birmingham is in control of my mind.

28. 

    @md.aliahasanmuzahid9164

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    wow

29. 

    @mariomoretti4301

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    We are our brain, no doubt. Its controlling who we are, what we do it gives us our personality. We seem to have zero control of who we become. Every trauma in the brain will reshape who we are…. Yet I can't let go of the idea that the brain is like transmitter of some kind, but in a reality that is driven by evolution. All seems also connected, nature, life, …It's so fascinating…

30. 

    @user-rosegirl3948

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    Πόσα να αντέξει ένα μυαλό ;😫

31. 

    @brendanhoffmann8402

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    lol, cognitive neuropsychology is so dumb. The mind has many aspects that do not originate from a physical place. The brain acts as a filter for pure consciousness which resides in unity yet independent of our bodies.

32. 

    @Ceptory

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    Back then when i was in boarding school i remember a young guy was literary sleep running up and down a stairs well shouting when my friend caught him he immediately peed on himself and woke up,it was crazy

33. 

    @Funkenmunken

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    this is really fascinating

34. 

    @Miguelangelcejazaragozaa

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    Your brain is control. Ive never slept walked so should guys re either bullshiting or not.

35. 

    @adudeplayinanotherdude

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    Whoever hypnotized you was in control it's obvious

36. 

    @noahmora68

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    waaayyyy too dumb-downed

37. 

    @steffstar

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    The feeling of being in control and the fear of not being in control are so strong that even this video explaining how we are not in control finishes by promising us that we have some form of control 😅

38. 

    @domhab

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Gracious

    Great work, Neuroscience is fascinating, but the holy Qur’an already gives insights. At 7:00, the prefrontal cortex is described as decision-making. Allah says in Surah Al-‘Alaq (96:14-16): “We will drag him by the forelock — a lying, sinful forelock.” The forelock is exactly where the prefrontal cortex is.

    At 22:24, the insula warns the brain when something is wrong. Surah Al-Qiyamah (75:1-2) swears by the “self-blaming” (nafs al-lawwamah), which seems to match this function.

    At 14:19, split-brain surgery shows one side sees while the other does not. Surah Al-Hajj (22:46) says: “It is not the eyes that are blind, but the hearts in the chests.” The patient could see but, without connection to the heart, lost control and filters.

    At 51:12, she says: “You can’t control everything that makes you who you are.” But the Qur’an shows you can choose what to feed your mind. It is guidance, healing and protection from manipulation. We also face whispers of shaytan (the accursed devil) in Surah An-Nas 114.

    So, in summary, the Qur’an describes layers of the self:
    – The blaming self (nafs al-lawwamah, insula)
    – The decision-maker (frontal cortex, free will)
    – The evil-commanding self (nafs al-ammarah, Surah Yusuf 12:53)

    Then we have:
    – The ruh (soul), and;
    – The accursed devil who whispers in our chests

    And many other things outlined in the holy Quran that we may have discovered or yet still to discover.

    Allah is closer to us than our jugular vein (Surah Qaf 50:16).

    For anyone who has gone astray, lost, needs help, whatever your situation, Allah says in Surah Az-Zumar (39:53): “Do not despair of Allah’s mercy. He forgives all sins. Indeed, He is the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

    Peace be with you.

39. 

    @Aijia_Vance

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    Saying that the brain is responsible for all facets of our personality, besides not being a scientific statement, its categorically wrong. So please fix the infotainment bullshit. Nova is usually better than that, but I guess you guys are following the history channel now.😢

40. 

    @shankarbalakrishnan2360

    August 30, 2025 at 3:13 pm

    Its common sense

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