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V. S. Ramachandran: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from V. S. Ramachandran, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

• Most people, in any language, agree which nonsense word is spiky and which is round

  Shown a spiky shape and a rounded blob and asked which is 'bouba' and which is 'kiki,' around 95% of people across many different languages pick the same match — round shape 'bouba…

  — V. S. Ramachandran & Edward Hubbard, Synaesthesia: A Window Into Perception, Thought and Language

• A box of mirrors can trick your brain into unclenching a limb that isn't there

  Amputees often feel their missing limb frozen in a painful position. Neuroscientist V. S. Ramachandran had patients place their remaining hand behind a mirror angled to create the …

  — V. S. Ramachandran & Sandra Blakeslee, Phantoms in the Brain

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