How does the brain think without language?
Have you ever wondered what the “base code” of the human brain is? How would we “think” if we didn’t have language? What is language “converted” into, in order to give it meaning we can act on?
While it’s only a theory, I’m a big fan of the idea of “embodied cognition.” This suggests that the brain interprets language by relating it to sensations, movements, and experiences.
So, if I tell you about myself walking through the cold woods… you call up an image of “woods” based on your own experiences of the woods. The interesting thing here is that the woods you visualise and the ones I visualise will be different… but it happens instinctively and there may be some common similarities. These are “schemas.”
You reference previous feelings of cold to understand the sensation. You might even feel twigs crunching under foot.
When we discuss abstract concepts - like numbers - they make sense only because on some level we’re referencing experiences of quantities we’ve physically had.
This further suggests that language and thought built upon a more fundamental function of the brain: the move our bodies. The sheer complexity of our possible movement is what gives rise to the incredible flexibility of our cognitive abilities.
As Daniel Wolpert puts it: the brain is, fundamentally, “for” movement.
So, it should come as no surprise, that movement is one of the very best tools for enhancing its function!
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