Hey guys, it's Mike Chen.
People are different, I think we all know that.
Every individual is unique in their own special way.
But there is a group of people on this planet,
and yes, they are different,
they have their own very unique culture and customs.
But what really sets them apart is the fact that
they can see better, literally, see better than everybody else in the world.
The Himba people are indigenous, semi-nomadic people
who mostly reside in the Kunene Region of northern Namibia.
The tribe has an estimated population of around 50,000
and mostly life off livestock farming,
particularly breeding sheep and goats,
These herders live very simple lives, far different from the modern lifestyles
of those who live in urban cities.
The tribe is comprised of smaller family communities
and members of these family villages dwell in circular, wooden huts
which were built to surround an "okuruwo" –
a sacred fire the Himba people believe
allows them to connect with the spirits of their ancestors.
And like I mentioned, these people have their own unique traditions and cultures.
For one, they are known for covering their skin with red ochre pigment,
which is a mixture of clay, sand and ferric oxide.
But another special thing, like I said at the beginning of this video
that really sets them apart from the rest of the world
is the way they see and perceive things.
You see, even when looking at the same object,
people can see things very differently.
You know, like beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
In the case of the Himba people,
this truth applies not only figuratively but literally as well.
And not only do they see things differently from most humans,
they seem to do it much, much better,
as research shows that they can focus on details better
and are also less susceptible to visual distractions.
Of course, this interesting finding compels us to ask: Well, how is this possible?
I mean, if we are all generally born with the same organs needed for seeing and perceiving,
shouldn't a traditional community like the Himba people
see or perceive our surroundings just like the rest of us?
Well, according to scientists, the answer lies in the theory
that vision and perception are not solely a matter of biology and neurology.
This means that they can also be influenced by external factors
such as environment and culture.
And in the case of the Himba people,
these semi-nomadic people see and perceive the way they do
because their minds have not been altered by
well, Facebook, YouTube and other modernization,
which the likes of Jules Davidoff,
a psychologist and professor at Goldsmiths, University of London,
believes have significantly affected the visual focus
and attention of those who belong to more modern, urban societies.
Davidoff conducted several studies and experiments
on vision, perception and attention with the Himba people as his main subjects,
and the results of his research supported the supposition of several other scientists
that modernization has indeed changed the way
we see, perceive and pay attention to things we look at.
That is why the people belonging to a traditional culture like that of the Himba people
are less likely to commit errors in their perception of size and distance
and are also less susceptible to getting distracted from their concentration.
Many of Davidoff's earlier experiments involving the Himba people
utilized the famous Ebbinghaus Illusion.
Also known as the Titchener circles,
this optical illusion is one that concerns size perception,
and it was first developed by renowned German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus
before its use was popularized by British experimental psychologist Edward Titchener.
The most famous version of this of optical illussion features
two circles of the same size placed in proximity of each other
in order to be compared by the subject looking at them.
However, the first circle is surrounded by circles much larger than its size
while the second circle is surrounded by smaller ones.
The positions of all the circles involved is supposed to make it appear
that the main circle surrounded by larger circles is smaller
than the central circle contained by the small circles.
And for most people, the illusion does trick them in the thing
that the first central circle is smaller than the latter.
However, when Davidoff showed the images to members of the Himba people,
they weren't as likely to fall for the same trick.
According to an article he published
with his colleagues in the Journal of Experimental Psychology in 2007,
the illusion had a weak effect on the Himba people because of their bias towards local processing.
This meant that when presented with an image featuring multiple objects,
they have the tendency to focus on the smaller details
– which in the case of the Ebbinghaus Illusion was the main circles
– instead of the complete picture.
And because they ignored the context of what they saw –
which was the image of two circles surrounded by large and small circles, respectively
– the illusion failed to distort their perception.
But although, the Himba people are bias towards local processing,
they're actually more flexible and have more control over their selective attention.
This means that while they tend to notice the small details first,
they can just as easily see the "big picture" if they are asked to do so.
Further experiments showed not only the Himba people's perceptual bias for the small details
and their flexible selective attention, but also a reduced distractibility.
Compared to people living in cities,
the Himba are less affected by visual distractions.
They can identify their target object better than others
even when other moving objects are present to disrupt their focus.
A possible explanation for why the Himba people can "see"
and focus better than everyone else is their traditional and simple lifestyle.
As herders, part of their everyday life is to identify cattle.
To be able to individuate dozens of animals,
they had to train their eyes to quickly spot distinctive features
and markings on their sheep and goats from a distance.
And it really comes in handy when they're looking for a Waldo.
Anyway, those of us who live in urban environments,
we live in a very fast pace and cluttered world
where a lot of things tend to all happen at once.
We encounter countless buildings and cars and people on a daily basis.
Not only that, we even don't usually do one thing at a time,
we almost always have to multitask
and because there are so many elements in our surroundings
we have to watch out for,
it almost becomes necessary for our attention to always be divided.
Maybe this also explains some innate almost supernatural abilities
that some say we all used to have, but have lost over the course of time.
For example, a lot of Eastern beliefs say that we all have a third eye
that we can see into other dimensions,
but as we become more and more ingrained in modern society,
innate abilities like those tend to fade out and completely disappear.
But let me know what you guys think.
Do you feel the modernization in society is actually making us "doller",
making our senses maybe less sensitive?
Let me know your thought in the comments below.
Thanks so much for watching. See you later!
For more infomation >> Live PD: Probable Cause (Season 3) | A&E - Duration: 4:55. 
For more infomation >> Dance Moms: Has Chloe Lost Her Passion for Dance? (Season 4 Flashback) | Lifetime - Duration: 4:36. 
For more infomation >> 나는 70 세이며이 트릭으로 인해 관절통이 하나도 없습니다. - Duration: 8:23. 
For more infomation >> 2019 Honda CBR250RR Version Anti Venom - Sportbike 250cc Style Anti Venom | Mich Motorcycle - Duration: 2:06. 
For more infomation >> Cặp "bài trùng" Trấn Thành Trường Giang cũng có lúc "lật mặt" nhau như thế này ở Thách Thức Danh - Duration: 22:43. 
For more infomation >> VEGAN 2018, THE MYSTERIES OF INEXHAUSTIBLE ENERGY! EXERCISE OF THE CENTURY FOR YOUR HEART! - Duration: 17:30. 
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét