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introspection

Essays tagged “introspection”. Follow an idea across the archive.

Essays on introspection

2 essays

Jun 15, 2021ACX

On Cerebralab On Nutt/Carhart-Harris On Serotonin

Scott Alexander examines a review of a paper on serotonin receptors, discussing prediction error, suffering, and the effects of different serotonin receptor activations on problem-solving approaches and psychedelic experiences.

10 min read 1,437 words

Jul 16, 2011LW

The limits of introspection

Scott reviews psychological research showing that people don't have introspective access to their own mental processes and instead guess at their reasons for behavior in the same way they would guess at others' motivations.

12 min read 1,741 words

behavioral psychology bystander effect cognitive dissonance