How many mind readers does it take

Electrical current can be applied by an electrode on the scalp to stimulate or inhibit neurons from firing in appropriate brain regions. The military is using this method to speed learning and enhance cognitive performance in pilots. The method is so simple, brain stimulation devices can be purchased over the internet or you can make one yourself from nine-volt batteries.

But the DIY approach renders the user an experimental guinea pig. New methods of precision brain stimulation are being developed. Electrical stimulation is notoriously imprecise, following the path of least resistance through brain tissue and stimulating neurons from distant regions of the brain that extend axons past the electrode. In experimental animals, very precise stimulation or inhibition of neuronal firing can be achieved by optogenetics.

This method uses genetic engineering to insert light sensitive ion channels into specific neurons to control their firing very precisely using laser light beamed into the brain through a fiberoptic cable. Applied to humans, optogenetic stimulation could relieve many neurological and psychiatric disorders by precision control of specific neural circuits, but using this approach in people is not considered ethical.

But the genie is out of the bottle. We better get to know her. The views expressed are those of the author s and are not necessarily those of Scientific American. Credit: Nick Higgins. Already a subscriber? Sign in. Thanks for reading Scientific American. Create your free account or Sign in to continue. See Subscription Options. Use these clues to determine their values and their approach. Nonverbal behavior is also important, and Miner suggests watching for body language clues. Tone of voice can also provide clues.

While this is harder when the conversation is done over the phone, Miner says an engaged or passionate voice is obvious. Anything critical or that involves emotion should never be communicated by email, says Miner. They can be a real hindrance to being perceptive. AWS Deloitte Genpact. Events Innovation Festival. Follow us:. By Stephanie Vozza 3 minute Read. Recognize Hot Buttons Another way to tell what someone is thinking is to look for their pain points, which involves asking the right questions.

People with autism often have major difficulties with mind-reading and more minor difficulties in empathising with people. Having slightly lower empathy is not always a bad thing , potentially helping people to make more logical rather than emotional decisions.

On the other hand, poor mind-reading is linked to problems such as difficulty making friends and mental health issues. Surprisingly, nobody has attempted to create a questionnaire on mind-reading until now. Using data from over 4, people in the UK and US, including autistic and non-autistic people, we found that just four questions should be used to measure mind-reading.

This may sound simplistic, but by developing such a short test we could collect data from very large samples. Want to know how good your mind-reading ability is?

You can complete the test here. We also used our data to perform advanced statistical analyses that have never been performed before on human mind-reading. Our results showed that the test was reliable and that males and females, as well as autistic and non-autistic people, interpreted the questions in the same way.

This meant that it could be used to accurately compare these groups on their mind-reading skills. Questionnaires can of course be inaccurate because participants sometimes answer questions in a way that make themselves look more desirable to other people.

Fortunately, this is less of a concern with this questionnaire.