Does it ever occur to you how mysterious the human mind is? It is one of the most complex things to ever exist with no boundaries. We do not completely understand it yet it is everything we have. It is funny to think that the mind named itself ‘the mind’ and how there is so much about it we do not know. The nature of its complexity has led to the birth of many interesting phenomena, some of which will be covered in this article. Here are four interesting but creepy phenomena of the human mind.
Cotard delusion
It is also known as the “walking corpse” syndrome, which is a rare neuropsychiatric condition where the person affected is convinced that some parts of their body are missing, or that they are dead or non-existent. Some get delusional to the extent that they believe their body has no blood or organs, and that they do not need food or water. It is most commonly seen in patients with severe depression. This syndrome is however not very frequent, with about 200 known cases worldwide.
Capgras Delusion
It is a phenomenon where the person believes that a loved one, like their best friend or boyfriend, has been replaced by an imposter. For example, they may accuse a parent of being an imposter of their actual parent. Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease or dementia are most likely to experience it. Researchers believe that it is caused by error in perception which may coincide with missing memories or it could be the result of feelings of disconnectedness due to physical or cognitive changes.
Cute Aggression
Ever seen a baby that is so adorable that you just want to squish it? This urge to squish, pinch, eat or crush cute things without any intention to cause damage is known as cute aggression. It occurs when positive emotions are running in very high amounts, which if left unchecked, can become physiologically harmful. The function, therefore, is one fo emotional regulation. However, it’s definitely creepy to think that we instinctively want to crush someone’s face because of their cuteness.
Call of the Void
If you stood on a roof and had this unexplained urge to jump but that thought soon disappeared afterwards, you experienced what is called ‘Call of the Void’. When these urges come up, people quickly counter them as they are aware of the catastrophic consequences of jumping off a roof or standing in front of a train. Researchers have said that survival instincts may cause this feeling as when we look down from a high place or are in risky situations, our brain sends warning signals which are transmitted very quickly and we might mistakenly interpret it to be a desire to jump or stand in front of a coming train.
Hopefully, some of these creepy mind phenomena have intrigued you to look into some more. The possibilities of the human mind is endless!