The shock of doing nothing | Andrew Holecek

We created this video in partnership with Unlikely Collaborators. Andrew Holecek spends time in complete darkness: no light, no sound, no sensory distractions. Here's what he says happens to the mind after the panic wears off. Subscribe to Big Think on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvQECJukTDE2i6aCoMnS-Vg?sub_confirmation=1 We spend our lives reaching for something — a phone, a feed, or a distraction — without asking what we actually need. Andrew Holecek has spent years studying what happens when that stops entirely: total, sustained darkness, with no sensory input at all. The results aren't peaceful at first, but after enough time, something changes. The mind, with nothing left to grab onto, begins to expand the walls of its Perception Box. True darkness prompts our brain to surface old, unprocessed psychic material, and eventually something Holecek calls the "primordial contraction,” the felt sense of self we normally never question. Read more from this interview ► https://bigthink.com/videos/what-total-darkness-reveals-about-who-you-really-are/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description Explore the Perception Box series hub ► https://bigthink.com/perception-box/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go Deeper with Big Think: ►Become a Big Think Member Get exclusive access to full interviews, early access to new releases, Big Think merch and more. https://members.bigthink.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ►Get Big Think+ for Business Guide, inspire and accelerate leaders at all levels of your company with the biggest minds in business. https://bigthink.com/plus/great-leaders-think-big/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=youtube_description ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------