12 phenomena to which psychology cannot give an answer (yet)

No, not everything can be explained. The science of behavior has certain limitations.

The human mind is a complex reality. Psychology was born with the aim of studying this reality, as well as the different elements and processes that make it possible for us to be who and how we are.

Here we present some questions that for the moment have not been able to be explained by the psychologybeing many of them in process of investigation on the part of different professionals.

1. What produces our self-consciousness and subjectivity?

The knowledge of being oneself, of having one's own consciousness and identity independent of the rest of the stimuli around us, is a well-known phenomenon studied by sciences such as psychology.

However, it is still not clear what produces or from what concrete structures this self-knowledge, which we share with other species such as the human race, is born.We share it with other species such as crows, some primates or dolphins.

2. What happens to our mind when we die?

Death is and has always been one of the great mysteries that the human being has tried to explain from different perspectives.. We know that at the moment of death the nervous system, together with the rest of the organism's systems, ceases to function. However, we are still unaware of the mental processes that take place during the last moments of life.

Although the brain functioning of a dying individual can be explored by means of neuroimaging, we would only be observing the physiological correlate of the processes followed. This aspect can also be worked on subjects with near-death experiences or who have been clinically dead for brief moments before being resuscitated.

3. Is it possible to create a machine with consciousness?

The search for and creation of an artificial intelligence is an element that has always aroused great interest, both in literature and in science. Today we know that it is possible to make a machine perform certain learning processes based on the acquisition of specific observation patterns, but we still do not know if it is possible to create something that is self-aware.

It is possible that we program something to appear to have consciousness but in reality it only performs pre-programmed actions.

4. Can our mind be transferred to another body?

It may sound like science fiction, but there are currently projects underway that propose the possibility of transferring a person's mind to artificial bodies that do not have to fear aging. that need not fear aging or disease. While the first step is to transplant a brain into an artificial body, it is intended that eventually the mind and personality of an individual or an artificial brain or even the network can be transmitted.

However, is this possible? And even if it were successful, would it be the same mind transported to another body or would the first one die and then create a second one with the same memories and tastes, as if it were a clone?

5. What is the origin of Alzheimer's disease?

One of the most common and increasingly frequent causes of dementia, Alzheimer's disease is among the barriers that science has not yet been able to deal with. While it is roughly known how the disease acts and the multiple predisposing factors, it is not yet known exactly (although genetic causes are suspected) why it occurs. In fact, all attempts to develop drugs to eliminate the amyloid plaques that appear in the brain under the effects of this disease have so far failed.

Knowing their exact origin could make it possible to work towards a solution to this disease.. This is a serious problem that psychology, neuropsychology and medicine are trying to solve.

6. To what limits can the mind affect the body?

Nowadays most people know what the placebo effect is, thanks to which a sick person can improve in certain aspects thanks to the belief that taking a product or carrying out an activity will help them to get better. It is basically a phenomenon of suggestion that causes the brain to generate internal changes through the release of hormones.

Likewise, the mental state of an individual can greatly alter their immune system and cause it to either worsen or strengthen in order to fight against different problems, such as depression or anxiety and certain problems (ulcers, viruses or even cancer). All of this makes us wonder where the limits are.. It is clear that having a positive mindset will not cure a serious illness, but the extent to which the mind can affect the body and how it can be stimulated in order to prolong an individual's well-being, capabilities and quality of life remains a subject of great scientific interest.

7. Is there a limit to our memory?

Throughout our lives we are constantly receiving, processing and retaining information. We know that aspects such as our working memory have a certain limit when it comes to operating with different stimuli at the same time, but is there a limit to our memory capacity? but is the same true for the capacity to store memories?

If our life expectancy were to increase indefinitely, would there be a time when we would no longer be able to record new information?

8. What is it that makes some people claim to see the aura or energy of others?

There are many people who claim to be able to see the energy or aura of others. In some cases this may be an attempt to manipulate others or even the effect of suggestion, but in others people have a real perception of such a phenomenon.but in others people have a real perception of such a phenomenon.

Although the most plausible hypothesis is the presence of synesthesia, in which people's perception can be tinged with aspects referring to other perceptual modalities or different dimensions of the same sensory modality (for example, they perceive a color when they hear a sound), this is a phenomenon that has not yet been fully explained.

9. What causes the brain of the so-called "super-elderly" not to age in the same way as that of the rest of the population?

The majority of the population, as it ages, gradually loses physical and mental faculties. With age, the brain begins to shrink, losing strength in its synaptic connections and reducing capacities such as attention span and memory. We find it harder to learn and are generally slower and less plastic.

However, although it is a very rare condition, there are some individuals whose rate of brain aging is much slower than average, and whose performance may be similar to the average.They can have a performance similar to that of their youth. These individuals are called "super-elderly", and to this day, research continues to investigate what it is that makes their brains maintain such high performance for so long.

10. How does intuition work?

Many times we have the feeling of being reasonably sure of something for which we do not have enough evidence in principle and which in fact does not follow a logical or rational course. This sensation, this non-rational knowledge, is what we call intuition.. 

Although various theories have been put forward indicating that intuition is due to the unconscious perception of information present in the environment, or that it is generated through the accumulation of experiences, there is still no clear basis indicating how this capacity works.

11. Why do mental disorders appear?

One of the most prominent areas of psychology is the one that deals with the presence of mental problems and disorders.. The origin of these problems can have very diverse causes, being frequent that there is a Biological predisposition that emerges after the experience of concrete situations throughout the development.

However, although we can sometimes see what has triggered them, the existence of elements that facilitate their appearance and others that hinder them (for example, personality, beliefs, experience or physiological constitution) and although we have numerous techniques and procedures to help patients recover, it is still not entirely clear why they arise in some people and not in others.

12. How does synchronicity work?

The concept of synchronicity was created by Jung with the purpose of referring to those situations that, without having a probable causal relationship, happen in a concatenated way as if they were related. Such a relationship makes sense and has meaning for the observer, even though it seems to be the result of chance.

For example, meeting someone in the street whom you were thinking about moments before, or dreaming about a specific stimulus that appears by chance the next day. However, psychology has not yet been able to determine the meaning and functioning of this concept.