Scientists have proposed a new hypothesis suggesting that human consciousness may arise naturally as a result of the brain’s desire to maximize its information content. This hypothesis is based on the principle of entropy, which describes the transition of a system from order to disorder. The researchers from France and Canada conducted a study to test this hypothesis.
The team used statistical mechanics to model neurons in nine individuals and found that the brains of the participants showed higher entropy in a fully conscious state. In other words, the usual wakeful states were characterized by the highest values of entropy, representing the largest number of possible configurations of interactions between brain networks.
While the study has its limitations, including a small sample size, physicist Peter McCcklint, who was not involved in the study, described the results as “intriguing” but in need of further investigation.
This study opens up new avenues for research and offers a potential new hypothesis about the nature of consciousness. It suggests that consciousness may be a side effect of the brain’s movement towards a state of entropy, similar to the principle observed in the Universe.
The results of the study were published in the journal Physical Review E.