Free Will: Is It an Illusion?

13.2.2017

Over centuries a debate has raged over what free will is and whether, or not, it’s an illusion. Over the course of any day we all make thousands of decisions about our behavior. Some of these are as simple as deciding to brush our teeth. Others are more difficult: should we go to work when we’re sick, for example.

 

On the whole as human beings we like to feel that we’re in control and own all the choices we make. Recent developments in neuroscience and philosophy, however, suggest we may not be as responsible for our actions as we think.

 

Is free will an illusion?

Some research suggests our choices are largely automatic and we have little control. Nearly 20 years ago a study by Wegner and Wheatley suggested that we are not agents of free will, but merely have the perception of it. They found that after taking action the brain infers that a thought led to the behaviour and that it was chosen, even if it wasn’t.

 

Building on this research, Bear and Bloom 2016 conducted a study. They presented participants with five circles on a screen and asked them to predict which one would turn red. Unbeknown to them, the circles lit up randomly. When the circles turned red quickly, there was a much higher perceived success rate. This study suggests that the brain has the ability to rewrite history and attribute the illusion of choice to an action.

 

But, Bear suggests, this illusion

“… may only apply to a small set of our choices that are made quickly and without too much thought. Or it may be pervasive and ubiquitous—governing all aspects of our behaviour, from our most minute to our most important decisions. Most likely, the truth lies somewhere in between these extremes.”

Why do we perceive free will where it doesn’t exist?

One theory put forward is that we perceive freewill in order to uphold a moral code. We can judge others and deal with punishment in society where there is free will. Clark et al 2014 looked at research conducted on free will and found that participants were more likely to believe in free will after an injustice had happened, suggesting that illusionary free will has a societal purpose.

 

Without the illusion of free will, life would feel chaotic and frightening. Free will, whether illusory or real, gives a sense of order that helps us deal with the uncertainty of life.

Mindfulness and free will

Mindfulness training offers a way to deal with uncertainty and transcend the mind’s mechanisms for dealing with loss of control. Hyland 2014 suggests that the tools used in mindfulness training, such as paying attention to the present moment in a non-judgemental way, help to bypass the process of illusionary free will. He proposes that free will is a ‘potential quality’ that the mind can be trained to harness.

 

Lush et al 2016 carried out an experiment measuring the time between the sensation of wanting to press a button and actually pressing it. Participants who practiced meditation had a longer gap between the thought and action. This shows a greater awareness in these subjects of their subconscious mind. Better self-awareness arguably gives greater control over the choices we make.

 

Whether it turns out in the end that most of our actions arise from free will or that only some of them do, mindfulness training is a great way to live life with more purpose.

 

To learn more about mindfulness training and how it can give an increased understanding of the unconscious mind, contact rachel@mindfulnessworks.com or call (+44) 01223 750660.