All psychotechnology part of cognition. This includes your laptop, your room, everything, not just the apps you use like a [[Second Brain]] suggests. Allows for [[Cognitive loops]] to form Usually mind is seen as a machine that is rigid, but what if we saw the mind as integrated with our environment as part of one larger system? This is the assumption in [[Ecological Dynamics]]. ## Benefits - Can help offload cognition - ![[The Extended Mind#^ktm0la]] Being able to combine our knowledge through language Distributed cognition is a form of this, where most of our knowing is through the experiences and learnings of other people. To do so, we indwell them, and through this process, we internalize and know ourselves as well. [[After Socrates Episode 4 - Reverse Engineering the Dialectic Dr. John Vervaeke#^dzzfx3]] ## Examples [[Externalize and offload as much as possible]] - [[Movement and exercise activates cognition]] - Focus on the types - Going for morning walks - Not enough though… - I struggle to find motivation in meditation, but forcing myself into environments where I have no choice but to focus on the activity at hand (running) helps with forcing myself to. - Bought an under-desk treadmill to help me stay alert and practice this. Although I might need more time to adapt since I still find myself diverting my attention to walking which can harm activities that require sustained focus like writing, I've found it leaving me energized instead of lethargic during these sessions. - [[Nature and its mental representation helps us relax]] - My route used to be busy streets, but now it's been a suburb with green trees. This lack of external stimuli promotes mind wandering if I'm not listening to an audiobook, or greater focus when I am - Morning becomes where I spend time writing to take advantage of this benefit - Hand gestures - We use hand gestures to spatially visualize our points - Reflective of our understanding (study) - ? Metaphor - Reminded me of how we can extend this beyond our hand gestures to something more affording like Obsidian Canvas - This also relates to another tool, fidgeting - How often do you listen to music while you focus? - I listen to one called breakcore (it's literally what I'm using right now as I write this), where it's irregular, chaotic drums - ? Metaphor - Stimulation - Especially more important for people who are neurodiverse - - Stories - Spatial memory is important. You might already know and put this into practices through something like a memory palace, but there's also another way this is used. - Think about your favorite book or insight from any media. How did you recall it? Was it just the literal fact, or was it enmeshed with a story? - Metaphor - It's what I'm trying to be more conscious of in my writing and video editing, since previously I sought for efficiency in sharing information. But that's what textbooks are for. All information is available, the real value is in making it stick. - [[Storytelling helps structure information in memorable ways]] - After implementing these changes and being more attuned to the way my physical environment (desk) and virtual environment (Obsidian, Akiflow) shape my focus, I'm starting to feel deeply alive. ## Origins ![[John Vervaeke — How to Build a Life of Wisdom, Flow, and Contemplation#^enb930]] ## Domains ### Extramission https://youtube.com/watch?v=y9pTbMoufp4 extramission is when you project what you see outwards, could be used to explain mirrors statistically significant results of people feeling like they are stared at??? rupert sheldrake morphic resonance