ramadocblog

Do you know what is Subconscious virtuosity?

Two novels underscore this point! The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg and The Key to Mastery by Robert Greene.

It is basically a part and parcel of your skill! Every driver and most professional is blessed with it!

This is the reason why you always look for experienced drivers or doctors or surgeons! Why you always like to listen to those who have sung many songs and take advice from those with the ‘numbers!’

The term as such refers to the state of effortlessly performing complex skills with mastery and grace, seemingly without conscious thought.

This happens when a person has practiced a skill so extensively that it moves from the conscious mind to the subconscious, allowing for quick, fluid, and intuitive action! Now driving is a skill which most get very quick, but to get lightning reflex on how to apply brakes suddenly or steer in the right direction comes like a reflex and this has to happen subconsciously! Even before you think!

Now for a skill to become a form of subconscious virtuosity, it moves through several phases:

The first is the conscious effort which is taken when first learning a new skill. Here the  person must use their conscious mind to focus intently on each step. The brain’s neural pathways for this task are new and inefficient, requiring significant mental effort.

The next step is the most important! Repetition and practice! With enough practice, the subconscious mind learns to perform the task automatically. Repetitive action and thought strengthens the neural pathways in the brain.

Finally you move on to the level of Automatic processing! In this level the skill becomes a habit controlled by the subconscious, which operates much faster and handles a much higher volume of information than the conscious mind. This allows the conscious mind to focus on other aspects of the performance, such as expressing musical emotion or adapting to new variables!

Of course you do have day to day examples but there are some who are exceptional in this!

Like a musician playing a complex piece! A virtuoso musician can execute thousands of notes with flawless technique while consciously focusing on the musical narrative and emotional expression, not on the individual finger movements! You can literally see the fingers flying!

An elite athlete in competition like a gymnast, can perform an intricate routine with apparent effortlessness because their subconscious is handling the countless micro-adjustments needed for balance and movement.

There are many such examples and all you need to realize is that the best way to get the automatism is Practice!

You must consistently program your subconscious mind through disciplined practice.

You can also use empowering self-talk to align your subconscious beliefs with your conscious goals. This can help break down mental barriers that might hold you back and finally all this would only happen with a calm mind which can be achieved by Mindfulness and meditation.


In the Novel Mastery by Robert Greene; the author also tells us the power of Visualization!

Here you must mentally rehearse your performance or desired outcome or goals!  Visualization reinforces neural pathways and prepares your subconscious to act instinctively!

In the same novel he talks about the amazing work done by Dame Valerie Jane Morris Goodall!

She will be missed…

But you had an amazing life! Take a bow….

Heart felt condolences

Om Shanthi…

As the old adage goes; old habits die hard!

No matter what you do; a bit or it remains!

There is an interesting book on habits by Charles Duhigg.

One habit which we all are guilty of is absolutely unnecessary but we do it anyway!

Now everyone brushes his or her teeth! The freshness and the minty feeling you get makes you feel nice and have a sense of achievement!

But that is just an LED light on a meter which serves no function!

Charles Duhigg’s states that the tingle on the tongue produced by the toothpaste is the reward you expect when you brush your teeth!

That’s either due to mint or other pungent substance! And the fact of the matter is that it’s totally unnecessary to clean your teeth!

But it’s a habit! And habit can be good or bad!

In fact Duhigg describes willpower as a “muscle” that can get fatigued with overuse but can also be strengthened through practice.

Now since habits are some things which gets embedded in our life and are really difficult to get rid of it is always better to form good ones! These habits which have a positive effect on your life are called the Keystone habits!

Keystone habits have a ripple effect that can transform other areas of your life!

There are some Keystone habits which you can form and try in your house or office!

The first and foremost is Exercise!  People who regularly exercise tend to eat healthier, have more energy, and are more productive at work. The discipline required for a consistent workout routine can influence other positive behaviors, such as better sleep and reduced stress!

One of the best things you can do when you get up is MAKE YOUR BED! This small task sets a tone of rigor and discipline for the day. According to Duhigg, it’s correlated with a greater sense of well-being and increased productivity!

Then you must make notes or write what you want to do or just pen down your thoughts on a note or like I do; Google Keep! This daily planning and journaling is actually taking time to plan your day and this helps you organize your thoughts, focus on priorities, and reflect on your goals. This can lead to greater self-awareness and improved decision-making!

Another great habit you can have is Eating together as a family!
This simple habit can strengthen relationships, encourage mindful eating, and create space for meaningful conversations!

Mindful meditation can also lead to reduced stress, improved focus, and greater emotional resilience, which enhances productivity and relationships.

Even for organizations there are some Keystone habits like Focusing on safety: At the manufacturing company Alcoa, CEO Paul O’Neill made employee safety his top priority. This single keystone habit forced a change in communication, led to more efficient work processes, and ultimately improved the company’s financial performance!

Another habit is developing a “customer-first” mindset: For a customer service team, this habit can lead to better problem-solving, improved customer retention, and stronger brand loyalty.

Now this is a habit which many may not like if done frequently but weekly team meetings are good! They should be done once in a while and you must be serious about it! Holding consistent meetings can increase accountability, boost team alignment, and improve overall operational efficiency!

Remember that it takes a little time to form a habit but a life time to get rid of it! So form good ones so that you do not have to get rid of it even a bit! Like listening to good music! Maybe from a legend like Sachin Dev Burman!

Now get the habit of early to bed!

SHubh ratri!

All over the world and social media everyone talks about Dopamine and dopamine detox!

Then you have Dan Brown who puts that down and goes for the king!

The novel secret of Secrets takes on GABA!

The chemical has been told to have some amazing properties! The proper amount is the key!

Apparently GABA is the brake which is always making our brain to be held within its constraints! Once the break is over or removed then the brain is free!

Apparently this is why children are so receptive to change and learn so much! It is all a play of the GABA!

Research on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in children reveals they are not static but are intricately involved in brain development, with distinct functional differences compared to adult brains. The role of GABA shifts from being excitatory in the very early brain to primarily inhibitory later on, which is critical for proper neural circuit formation.

Now in the early embryonic and early postnatal brain, GABA acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter. It influences crucial processes like the proliferation, migration, and differentiation of neurons.

Then you have the “GABA switch” when from GABA being excitatory becomes inhibitory. This shift is governed by changes in the levels of chloride-transporting proteins. The proper timing of this switch is crucial for healthy development, and disruptions have been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders.

Studies have shown that children exhibit more dynamic GABA activity than adults, allowing them to stabilize learning more quickly. Research found that children experience a rapid boost in GABA concentrations during visual learning, which helps stabilize new skills, a phenomenon not observed in adults.

In adults GABA is well-known for its role in controlling anxiety, fear, and stress, which are often factors that interfere with sleep. But it is primarily inhibitory! According to Dan it is seen that in some situations the levels becomes so low that the full power of the brain is unleashed!

If you have a super power or super person inside you, then maybe it is the GABA which is holding you back! Then again the novel was fiction!

So read all  novel related documents carefully before kicking the GABA out!

Then again if you want a kick then simply listen to an amazing number by Shaan!

Shubh ratri!

There’s a book called Atomic Habits by James Clear.
The crux of the book is to instill small changes which lead on to big impacts in your life! But that is not the discussion here!

In the novel he describes an experiment.

One person is asked which line is short or long!

Now among the two lines the participant could easily tell which line is long or short! But this is where it gets interesting!

He is now made to sit with a team and everyone is asked the same question! Everyone give the wrong answer!

Unknown to him the other participants in the study were actors! They all told the wrong answer purposefully!

Now if the participant is really strong and sure he or she normally used to stick to his ‘correct’ answer to an extent!

This was seen to be dependent on the number of participants!

If the participants number is less then the person sticks to his or her answer!

As the number of actors increases and they all tell the wrong answer, the person finally goes with the crowd albeit reluctantly! He or she knows that his or her answer is correct and everyone else is wrong but then the overwhelming majority makes it difficult!

This is called the crowd mentality!

You would rather be wrong with the crowd or be right and alone!

Crowd mentality, also known as herd mentality or mob mentality, is actually a psychological phenomenon where individuals in a group are influenced to conform to the majority’s beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, often at the expense of their own individual judgment.

This collective behavior, which can range from harmless to dangerous, leads individuals to act differently than they would alone, influencing everything from financial markets and social media trends to crowd control and even destructive mob behavior!

With the recent advent of social media and the whole new generation which believes in ‘more is right’; the trend is very disturbing!

They chief aspects are that the individuals tend to adopt the opinions and actions of the group to fit in or because they are unsure of the correct way to behave!

In fact emotions, attitudes, and behaviors can spread rapidly through a crowd, creating a sense of urgency or panic!

People have been seen to adopt trending ideas, challenges, or opinions seen online because others are doing it! This explains the latest iPhone buying sensation or to get that Stanley bottle!

Even in financial markets, investors may buy or sell stocks based on the perceived sentiment of the crowd rather than fundamental value, a phenomenon called herd behavior in finance!

In fact understanding crowd mentality is crucial for managing large public events and preventing dangerous situations like panic during emergencies or during a mob!

This is particularly important since groups of people can engage in actions within a crowd that they would not attempt individually, sometimes leading to destructive mob behavior.

So remember that just because everyone is doing a thing DOES NOT make it right! You can still stick to the correct norm! Do not be a part of the crowd! Stand out and be brave and proud about it!

Like the story writer Koduri Viswa Vijayendra Prasad! He wrote bahubali and RRR and eega! His son also stands out and doesn’t follow the crowd! Rajamouli!

Now follow the crowd and sleep! Or not!

Shubh ratri!

This is probably one of the most famous coffee place in the world and the logo is so familiar that you can instantly recognize it!

But Robert Langdon does not like it because with such a large presence and repute; they have an incorrect logo according to him!

You can find this outlet all over the world and their style of putting your name on your cup and calling it out is so popular!

Many people use that name calling (literally!) for fun!

Yes! Starbucks! Now you all may remember seeing the logo! Looks like the face of the statue of liberty and then some! It is one of the most recognizable logos in the world! At least by those who like to post snaps in the social media stating that they had been to this place!

But the biggest twist is not the frappe chino but the fact that the Logo was supposed to be a Mermaid! But it is not!

Now mermaids are mythical aquatic creatures, usually depicted with the head and upper body of a human and the tail of a fish! They are warm and kind and like Ariel very innocent!

They like to help sailors and normally do not cause any harm to them!

The logo actually looks like a mermaid! The good one and the helpful one! But you can see a slight difference! A mermaid apparently has only one tail! The ‘mermaid’ in the logo has two tails!

Now that is danger!

It is not a mermaid but a SIREN!

In Greek mythology, sirens are depicted as female beings, often described as part-bird, or part fish with alluring voices!

The danger was that their captivating songs lured sailors to crash their ships onto rocky shores, leading to their destruction!

In the epic poem of Odysseus there is a mention of Odysseus and his crew encountering sirens. Odysseus had his sailors stuff their ears with wax to block the sound, and he himself was tied to the mast of his ship so he wouldn’t be tempted to steer towards the rocks!

Apparently once you get drawn towards them you cannot escape! Many actually feel like that when they have a Starbucks coffee! Alright then! 
Maybe the logo is correct after all! What say Dan Brown!?

Luckily I do not mind a filter coffee once in a while but have never developed a taste for the Starbucks!

I have wondered how anyone could even drink that huge cup! Even filter coffee has its limits! I usually take the flat white and throw it after drinking a little more than half!

That is a big waste of star and bucks! A big legend though is Lata di! I would not mind her song instead of a mocha! My favorite is Sri Ram Chandra krupalu bhagawana for obvious reasons!

Now drink warm water and certainly not coffee and sleep!

Shubh ratri!

You are at a buffet and you see the dessert section and all you want to do is stop everything and gobble them up!

Blame your ancestors! Since they used to get sweet only once in a very rare while like a sweet fruit; they used to simply rush and finish it as soon as possible!

Old (read ancient habits!) die hard!

But did you know the part which is first and most affected by your sugar load is the one which at one point in time was thought to be great if it was black in color!


Of course the thing which is normally white in all the races!

Not your beautiful soul but your teeth!

What’s the first thing most people do when they get up!? Let’s not talk about checking the phone for now! But it’s usually brushing your teeth!

You know in 1900s, no one used to brush their teeth so routinely! Then a brilliant campaigner Claude Hopkins after going through boring dental books told how the dental film which you can feel with your tongue is bad!
And that Pepsodent will take care of it! Voila! It soon became a habit!

But it took time for even to reach that state!

Apparently the so called ‘civilized’ people had their queen with teeth as black as the hair! Also it was considered beautiful!

During the Renaissance, people increasingly began to understand the role that oral hygiene played in their health. However, it still took some time for this knowledge to spread across all cultures. A bright white smile was not always a sign of health and prosperity. It actually showed that you could not afford costly treats! Read ‘Sweets’!

In fact at the time of Queen Elizabeth I, it was considered fashionable in Great Britain to have one’s teeth blacked. The reason for this trend was the Queen’s fondness for highly sugary treats. In combination with the very limited knowledge of dental care and oral hygiene at the time, this led to jet-black royal teeth – which the people took as an aesthetic model for a while!

So the richer you are, more black was your teeth! That was the situation in the apparent civilized country while even in the most remote parts of other countries; people used the stick of trees such as neem to brush their teeth and have white and healthy ones!

Now imagine that you saw a comedy scene starring Nagesh and show your white ones!

Now brush your teeth one more time and sleep!

Shubh ratri!

He may have been a charlatan! But there is no way to tell!

Then again he was responsible for one of the first clinical trial lead not by any ordinary person but the a future president of the US!

The person in question is a German called Franz Anton who created a theory which basically stated that an invisible, natural force flowed through all living things.

He believed that a magnetic fluid (or Lebensmagnetismus) existed in all beings, and that blockages or imbalances of this fluid caused illness.

So Franz aimed to restore the harmonious flow of this fluid by manipulating it with magnets or, later, with his own hands through!

Patients undergoing his treatments would often experience dramatic emotional releases, trances, or even convulsions, which Franz saw as a healing “crisis” that restored the body’s balance!

In Vienna, his practice gained some success, particularly with patients suffering from “nervous complaints” or psychosomatic illnesses.

However, he was eventually forced to leave the city following scandals, including the controversial failure to cure the blind pianist Maria Theresa Paradis!

Then again if you can give hope, people will follow for that dope!

He moved on to Paris and his practice became a social phenomenon, attracting wealthy clients and drawing large, theatrical crowds.

For group therapy, he used a Baquet, a large tub filled with magnetized objects from which patients held metal rods!
So when you see in the TV of guys who ‘cure’ a blind person or a person who is in wheelchair; well these ‘divine’ interventions are in vogue from ages! Just that now you have live transmission!

Of course no one like fame and influence! So concerned by Franz’s growing influence, King Louis XVI appointed a scientific commission to investigate his claims.

The panel included eminent figures like Benjamin Franklin and chemist Antoine Lavoisier!

Through controlled, blinded experiments, the commission concluded there was no evidence for a magnetic fluid. It determined that the effects were caused by the power of suggestion and the patients’ imagination—a finding that was a precursor to understanding the placebo effect!

In spite of this Franz’s work had a significant impact on future developments in psychology and medicine. 

His study is also the foundation for hypnosis since the trance states and suggestion he employed were later studied by others, notably Scottish surgeon James Braid, who coined the term “hypnotism” in the 1840s!

His legacy extended to figures like Jean-Martin Charcot and Sigmund Freud, who initially used hypnosis before Freud developed psychoanalysis!

Also the official inquiry into Franz’s practices, which used controlled experiments, is considered one of the first formal medical trials in history!

So did you get the person! Well his full name was Franz Anton Mesmer

Mesmer theorized that there  exists a natural energy transference occurring between all animated and inanimate objects; this he called “animal magnetism”!

Yes! Were you impressed or dazed or mesmerized!?

Getting so magically impressed or controlled like this is thus called mesmerism! Now you know the origin of the term mesmerizing!

Now remember the time many used to be mesmerized by Dev Anand!
A sketch with negative shading technique…

Shubh ratri…

You can call this the king of failures who would then become the king of success!

The starting point is a chemical called Acetanilide which was the first aniline derivative found to possess analgesic as well as antipyretic properties, and was quickly introduced into medical practice under the name of Antifebrin by Cahn & Hepp in 1886. But its unacceptable toxic effects—the most alarming being cyanosis due to methemoglobinemia prompted the search for curing everyones pain in a safer way!

Harmon Northrop Morse synthesized this drug at Johns Hopkins University via the reduction of p-nitrophenol with tin in glacial acetic acid in 1877, but it was not until 1887 that clinical pharmacologist Joseph von Mering tried it on humans.

In 1893, von Mering published a paper reporting on the clinical results of this product with phenacetin, another aniline derivative.
Von Mering claimed that, unlike phenacetin, this product had a slight tendency to produce methemoglobinemia. The product was then quickly  discarded in favor of phenacetin. The sales of phenacetin established Bayer as a leading pharmaceutical company!

In 1947, David Lester and Leon Greenberg found strong evidence that the product was a major metabolite of acetanilide in human blood, and in a subsequent study they reported that large doses of the same given to albino rats did not cause methemoglobinemia!

So this was again marketed in the United States in 1950 under the name Triagesic, a combination with aspirin, and caffeine.

Then tragic reports in 1951 of three users stricken with the blood disease agranulocytosis led to its removal from the marketplace, and it took several years until it became clear that the disease was unconnected!

Finally, the product proved to be a safer and more effective alternative to its precursors! So much so that it is one of the most commonly used drugs for pain and fever! In fact it was the most commonly used medication in the treatment of even COVID! It was also the only medication actually needed most of the cases!

Until recently it was the only medication approved to be given even in  pregnancy.

Though recently it has been advised to be given with precaution.

But still, the drug is given by most every health care provider and is usually safe! The first and only drug of choice in fever or pain or even a broken heart (may not work that well though in this case!)!

Technically it is called Acetaminophen with the chemically formula C8H9NO2!

You may know it as paracetamol!

For now do the best thing for pain! Rest and sleep!
Oh I forgot about the sketch! Reminds me of Gajini director A R Murugadoss!

Shubh ratri!

Do you know what is the number one issue of many research especially the ones where you are trying to demonstrate or create a new finding?

Funding is actually the second issue!

The major issue is what the scientific community calls the Replication crisis!

The wonder of AI or most machines is that once you train or do the first task, it will do that task again and again without error!

That is one of the chief difference between humans and AI!

The same task may be done differently by even the same human or groups of humans! Even if the first finding of your study is robust, many times when you re analyze or conduct the test again; the findings are not replicated!
One of the best examples of this crisis is a very famous study called the marshmallow experiment!

The study has been quoted in many books especially books on self help and financial education.

The experiment shows something called the delayed gratification.

Also called the Stanford marshmallow experiment, it was a study done in 1970 led by psychologist Walter Mischel, a professor at Stanford University.

In this study, a child was offered a choice between one small but immediate reward, or two small rewards if they waited for a period of time. During this time, the researcher left the child in a room with a single marshmallow for about 15 minutes and then returned. If they did not eat the marshmallow, the reward was either another marshmallow or pretzel stick, depending on the child’s preference.

In follow-up studies, the researchers found that children who were able to wait longer for the preferred rewards tended to have better life outcomes, as measured by SAT scores, educational attainment, body mass index (BMI) and other life measures.

So far so good!

But here comes the replication crisis!

A replication attempt with a sample from a more diverse population, over 10 times larger than the original study, showed only half the effect of the original study!

The replication suggested that economic background, rather than willpower, explained the other half!

Finally the predictive power of the marshmallow test was challenged in a 2020 study and subsequent work done in 2018 and 2024 found that the Marshmallow Test “does not reliably predict adult functioning”

This replication crisis in shows a widespread failure to reproduce the results of published  studies, leading to concerns about the reliability and validity of psychological and other research.

Initiated in the early 2010s, this crisis highlighted that many findings, especially from the social sciences, could not be reliably confirmed by subsequent studies.
Now this is only one study; many studies have been found to have the replication crisis which challenge the accuracy of published findings!

While most visible in psychology, the issue affects other social and natural sciences as well. Even in many modern experiments this can happen!

Basically if at first you succeed; it is not necessary that you will do so again!
Sounds evil! Just sounds though! Like Prem Chopra!

Now replicate what you do everyday when you go to bed in the night!
I just meant sleep!

SHubh Ratri!

The Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown

Sixth installment in his Robert Langdon series!

E book! No spoilers!

Will be giving so many details without revealing the crux of the book!

Mystery thriller with lots of facts and figures (more accurately symbols!) thrown around for good measure!

The scene of crime so to speak is the city of Prague!

Robert Langdon and his friend are in the city for a talk and a book would be releasing soon!

Everything is going fine till the next morning when nightmares come true! The bodies start piling up and the history of Prague gets in between a race to survive and live to tell the tale!

You will learn about so many new facts or old facts but new findings!

You will get introduced to a new science called the NOETIC science!

Robert is an expert in symbols and you will get to know about two famous symbols which have been misrepresented and are actually incorrect!

Then you will learn about ESP!

You will also learn about Reticular theory and a great issue amongst scientists called the Replication crisis!

You will also get to know about the most common religious symbol in the world!

In between Robert will take you on a historical tour of Prague while trying to stay alive!

A couple of monsters’ here and there (yes that is not a typo!) and an amazing reveal in the end!

Then you have some old theories like Moor’s law coming up without any warning and some experimentation with brain!

Add the fact that the most powerful organization in the world is after you or your work, rest assured you will be pleased!

Then you have the most powerful chemical in the brain which is the secret of secrets!

You will get to know about REUBEN NSEMOH or DEREK AMATO! Of course they are not in the story but their story is mentioned! To show the power of the Brain!

The age old question of death and what happens after is given a new twist!

If you like his older works; I would say the last one was a little disappointing but this one more than makes it up!

One thing which struck me is that, I could picture not Tom Hanks but Tom Cruise as Robert! Both will do though!

Final warning! Do not start if you do not have time! Because once you do, you may want to finish it as soon as possible!

None of the above would give you the storyline though!

Or you can ask me and I will personally send you the spoilers!

I read your mind! Just kidding! Or am I?

It is a secret of secrets!