What if your brain writes a first draft of reality—and you decide on the edit? In this episode of Choice Beyond Logic, Kellie Best explores predictive processing, placebo and price effects, change blindness, and interoceptive prediction to reveal how expectations shape what you see, feel, and choose—often before awareness. Learn simple “decision hygiene” moves to loosen old predictions and let surprise (and freedom) back in.

📚 References for Show Notes

•Predictive Brain / Free Energy Principle — Friston, K. “The free-energy principle: a unified brain theory?” Nature Reviews Neuroscience (2010).

•Expectation in Perception — Summerfield, C. & de Lange, F. “Expectation in perceptual decision making.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience (2014).

•“Controlled Hallucination” — Anil Seth, TED Talk: Your brain hallucinates your conscious reality.

•Interoceptive Inference / Constructed Emotion — Seth & Friston papers; Barrett, L.F. “The theory of constructed emotion.” (2016/2017).

•Placebo / Expectation Effects — Ellingsen et al., PNAS (2013); Rosenkjær et al., review (2022).

•Price Shapes Pleasure (Wine Study) — Plassmann et al., PNAS (2008).

•Change Blindness (“Invisible Gorilla”) — Simons & Chabris, Perception (1999).

•Free Energy Principle (updated overview) — Friston (2023) “made simpler” review.

Choice Beyond Logic is hosted by Kellie Best.

📌 For resources, references, and more, visit www.kelliebest.com .

💡 This podcast is for educational and inspirational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice.