The Construct of Reality and Why We Never See the World As it Is
Our experience of reality is carefully constructed by the brain. Explore why perception diverges from the world and what this means for awareness.
We often assume that the world we experience is the world as it truly is. Yet neuroscience shows that what we see, recall, and believe is not direct reality but a version created by the mind. Our perception is shaped by senses, thoughts, emotions, and prior expectations. This raises important questions: Can we really trust perception? Why do two people remember the same event differently? How can increased emotional awareness or mindfulness help us notice the gap between perception versus reality?
How the Brain Constructs Reality
The brain does not simply record information; it edits and interprets to create a world we can navigate. For example, the eyes project blurry, inverted images, which the brain flips and sharpens to create what feels like clear vision (Lents, 2020). Hearing works the same way, filtering noise so we can focus on one voice in a crowd.
Time is also reconstructed. Research shows we live about a third of a second behind real events, forcing the brain to predict what will happen next (Ortinski & Meador, 2004; Bahill & Laritz, 1984). What feels immediate is already adjusted. Tor Nørretranders (1998) called this the “user illusion”—our consciousness only receives a small fraction of the brain’s work.
Selective attention highlights the same principle. In the Invisible Gorilla experiment, people concentrating on counting passes often failed to see a gorilla walk through the game (Chabris & Simons, 2010). These examples reveal that our daily life is stitched together from fragments, creating a constructed reality that feels seamless but is highly edited.
Belief, Memory, and the Stories We Tell
Memory feels trustworthy, but it is as edited as perception. Daniel Kahneman (Thinking, Fast and Slow) showed that we often rely on fast, intuitive thinking when recalling events. This quick system fills gaps, while slower reasoning rarely intervenes.
Anil Seth (Being You) describes perception and memory as “controlled hallucinations.” Each recall is influenced by current mood and context. Psychologist Daniel Schacter (1999) calls this memory bias—our tendency to reshape memories to fit what we now believe.
This is why two friends can argue over the same conversation and both feel certain. Their memories are not false but reconstructed through the lens of belief and reality, producing different versions of the past.
Perception Versus Reality in Everyday Life
If memory is shaped, so is perception in daily life. Emotions act as filters: calmness may turn feedback into support, while anxiety may turn it into criticism. Steven Pinker (1997) argued that the mind does not simply record data but interprets it through emotion and expectation.
Our environment adds more filters. David Eagleman (Livewired) explains that the brain rewires itself continuously in response to repeated experiences. Upbringing, culture, and even digital algorithms guide what we pay attention to. Over time, these inputs sculpt how we see the world.
The result is that our awareness is never neutral. We do not perceive reality as it is, but through filters of feeling, culture, and technology.
Is Reality a Construct or an Excuse?
Saying “reality is a construct” can illuminate how the mind works, but it can also be misused. Donald Hoffman (The Case Against Reality) argues that perception evolved to help us survive, not to show us truth. V.S. Ramachandran (The Tell-Tale Brain) demonstrates how the brain can fabricate convincing experiences, such as phantom limb sensations.
Acknowledging constructed reality should not lead us to dismiss responsibility. Our perceptions are bounded by biology and shared human patterns. Recognising the mind’s edits is not an excuse but an invitation to be more reflective about how we form our thoughts and actions.
Adaptation or Improvisation?
The brain often seems like a careful planner, but much of its work involves improvisation. David Eagleman (Livewired) describes it as constantly reshaping itself to adapt to change. Yet Dan Ariely (Predictably Irrational) shows that this flexibility can produce predictable errors. We may feel rational, but hidden shortcuts often distort decisions.
Gabriele Oettingen (Rethinking Positive Thinking) argues that adaptation works best when guided. Her WOOP method—Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan—illustrates how planning can balance improvisation. In this way, the brain is both adaptive and fallible, improvising enough to keep us functional while sometimes leading us astray.
Why Hacks Work for Some and Fail for Others
Tools like productivity hacks or vision boards succeed or fail depending on how they interact with hidden processes. Timothy Wilson (Strangers to Ourselves) shows that unconscious associations play a powerful role in shaping responses.
Iain McGilchrist (The Master and His Emissary) suggests that different thinking modes matter too: analytic focus versus broader, holistic awareness. A strategy may energise one mode while frustrating the other. The outcome also depends on emotions and thoughts—what motivates one person may overwhelm another.
What Changes When Thoughts Aren’t Taken as Truth
One of the most practical insights from neuroscience is that thoughts are not always reliable guides. Rolf Dobelli (The Art of Thinking Clearly) outlines how reasoning is shaped by bias. Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald (Blindspot) show that unconscious distortions colour even our most confident judgements.
By observing thoughts and emotions without immediately accepting them (as some refer to as mindfulness), we create space to respond with more clarity and compassion. Recognising that belief and reality are not identical allows us to see experience with greater curiosity.
Seeing the Construct Clearly
What we perceive is not reality itself but our constructed reality shaped by senses, memory, thoughts, and emotions. This construction helps us adapt, but it also distorts. We may never fully close the gap between perception and reality, but we can learn to notice it. Through increased awareness, we can step back from automatic reactions and engage with the world with greater clarity. What might shift if you questioned the stories your mind tells you?
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References:
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Banaji, M. R., & Greenwald, A. G. (2013). Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People. Delacorte Press.
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Seth, A. (2021). Being You: A New Science of Consciousness. Faber & Faber.
Wilson, T. D. (2002). Strangers to Ourselves. Belknap Press.
