Counterintuitive Facts (76): You Think You Decided to Click This Article?

I. Now, move your index finger. You feel that was your "free will's" decision, right? You wanted to move it, it moved. If you didn't want to, it wouldn't. You are the king of your body. You're in control of everything.

II. But in the 1980s, neuroscientist Benjamin Libet did an experiment that made people break into cold sweat. He had subjects watch a special clock. They could decide to move their finger anytime, and note the moment of that "decision to move." The moment they became aware "I'm going to move my finger." Simultaneously, Libet monitored their brain activity with EEG.

III. Results showed: 300 to 500 milliseconds before subjects became aware of wanting to move their finger, the brain's motor cortex had already produced Readiness Potential. Meaning the brain had already started p