Deception and brain waves

Deception: an analysis of brain activity

Although we often do not realize it, our mind never works at the same pace: at the variation of needs and / or resources at its disposal (genetic, contextual etc.) it uses different types of wave frequencies.

Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes hereĀ Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).

What are brain weaves?

Without entering into very complex disquisitions about brain functionality, we could say that brain waves:

  • Are electrical impulses that flow through the brain, creating “patterns of activity”
  • Play a vital role in our cognitive functions, emotions (and even well-being)
  • Continue to jump up and down varying tirelessly their frequency in relation to the context in which we are (or feel)

A note by Master Kongling – In relation to the last point it is interesting to immediately underline: how much our mind is self-referential on how it feels and therefore how much space we have to influence our mental state (read for example Fighting and mind control: the anchors).

What do the frequency changes in brain waves mean?

Through the electroencephalogram, the brain waves can be precisely measured in cycles per second (or Hertz, Hz). In relation to what interests us (and generalizing a lot) we could say that:

  • The more a person is tired / relaxed, the more its frequencies are low
  • The more a person is active / stressed, the higher they are
  • When the frequency is low we can be influenced more easily
  • When the frequency is high we can be deceived less easily

A note by Master Kongling – To explain it to a child, we could (wrongly) say that, in relation to deception, the brain waves are a sort of sentry who makes more or less patrols around the building it is supposed to protect. The higher the frequency, the more coherence checks can be performed (through the activation of the right areas of the brain), the lower the frequency, the easier it is to pierce the defensive barrier (since the checks, the activations are scarcer and less frequent). We could also imagine a fan: when it spins very slowly it is easy to pass it without being touched but as we make it spin faster (without varying its structure or trajectory), it becomes automatically more difficult.

The 8 types of human brain waves

A note by Master Kongling – Understanding brain waves is essential for exploring attention levels and cognitive states in the various contexts but it must be clear that every frequency is important and has a specific function (that cannot be replaced, there are no worse or better); each of them plays a crucial role in our overall well-being, affecting mood, concentration, sleep quality, memory and much more. For instance, during meditation, theta waves can enhance our focus and productivity, while delta waves during deep sleep help us to truly rest and recharge.

These are the most important frequencies, with the relative range and some examples of activation:

  1. Epsilon waves (0 to 0.5 Hz), death or apparent death
  2. Delta waves (0.5 to 3.9 Hz), deep sleep
  3. Theta waves (from 4 to 7.9 Hz), stages 1 and 2 of REM sleep (eg. dream)
  4. Alpha waves (8 to 13.9 Hz), wakefulness with eyes closed (eg. before falling asleep)
  5. Beta waves (14 to 30 Hz), the normal state of consciousness (eg. normal talking)
  6. Gamma waves (30 to 42 Hz), high and elaborative attention (eg. reading this article)
  7. Hyper gamma waves (42 to 100 Hz), extreme brain activity (eg. mental imbalances)
  8. Lambda waves (100 to 200 Hz), cerebral hyperactivity (eg. the human limit)

A few considerations that may help us to understand:

  • Alpha waves are emitted by our brains constantly during proper meditation
  • Meditation can replace hours of sleep not taken / lost (read A meditation mini-guide: how to start)
  • Alpha waves activate our cerebral hemispheres connected to intuition and creative thinking
  • In general, we could say that intuitive / creative people travel slightly more on low frequency, the most rational / schematic ones on higher frequencies
  • The deep hypnosis (theta waves) opens the door to one of the most inaccessible levels of the human mind and exposes things like basic behaviors, attitudes and natural personal integrity (elements normally difficult to reach even by the subject itself in the conscious phase)

Deception VS brain weaves

The first thing to say is that, in relation to external stimuli, at each frequency corresponds a given type of:

  • Attention
  • Reactivity
  • Processing
  • Critical thinking

In general, we could make this “distinction”:

  • Low frequencies – The mind works freely and indulges in wilder fantasies (eg. the forbidden dreams that we do not remember) and at the same time, it can be deceived / conditioned very easily (eg. dipping a hand of a person in theta waves in warm water, causes the effect of forced urination, something that would never happen in a state of full consciousness)
  • High frequencies – The mind analyzes (or better tries to analyze) everything that happens; it doubts, compares, thinks and eventually puts some blocks to what it can not handle; it is natural and obvious that in this range the deception is much more difficult

Does the possibility of being deceived therefore directly depends only on the frequency of our brain waves? Do higher frequencies guarantee that we cannot be fooled?

Naturally no, the efficacy of deception depends on many other factors. What we could say is that the simplest tricks may certainly be ineffective against a higher frequency but we are talking about a kind of “mental traps” almost at a child level.

A note by Master Kongling – Good quality deception is based on the factors described in How to deceive the mind of someone (anyone). There are cases where a lie cannot be discovered (not with a sufficient level of certainty or however not in time) but what is sure is that the best way to spot a manipulation has much more to do with method than with cerebral performance. In fact, if we imagine the mind as a computer, it is immediately clear to us that it is not so much the speed (although it naturally helps) with which the analyses are performed but rather what type of analyses are made.

Final notes

A few conclusive thoughts:

  • Why do we cover these topics? Because, both in a self-defense negotiation and in a fight, it is vital to be aware of the different reactions to a given stimulus (verbal, physical, etc.) in relation to the conditions of perception; in other words, knowing ours and the (probable) mental state of our opponent can allow us to make better tactical decisions
  • In the field of negotiation, we are particularly interested in the switchings between beta, alpha and eventually theta waves; in addition to this, we have to pay attention to gamma waves (delta are already too low and hyper gamma, lambda or epsilon are very rare)
  • Last but not least, we are very keen to say that we do not have the authority to discuss from a physiological point of view such specific and complex arguments; take what we said with the right precaution, the study of the brain is currently in evolution and very far from the level reached for the other parts of the human body; in this article, we have been forced to generalize many things and this is not something that we like (each time that we generalize something, we lose something and we hide crucial exceptions / details, read also Reducing prejudice with martial arts: how to)

In the next article of this series, we will show an (unfortunately) effective and dangerous type of deception called “honeycomb structure” (read Deception, brain waves and honeycomb structure).

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Reply in the comments and share your experience:

  • Can you recognize the frequency of your brain waves?

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