Apr 19, 2024 1 min read

We Get Bored Because Brain Predicts Its Error Rate

Related: Mindgame

If Brain Predicts Its Error Rate what would be the best error rate prediction?

I believe that the best error rate prediction must be the current error rate.

The world is way too complex, non-linear, random, and unpredictable in general. No matter how good and accurate the predicting model is, it will inevitably hit a limit in its prediction accuracy.

Learning Engagement

If I were a brain that is trying to predict the observed reality and my prediction error of the reality. I would say that my error rate prediction is the current error rate as if I've already reached my learning capacity and hit the possible limit of the prediction accuracy.

In case, I continue to learn and my observed prediction error rate drops, it would cause a positive surprise. That's how I will get further engaged in the learning process.

Boredom

As soon as the learning process gets stuck the error rate stops improving. Thus, it stops producing any positive surprise, and dopamine is no longer released.

That's how we learn that we've hit the accuracy limit and it doesn't make sense to go on with the learning process.

That's how we eventually get bored with whatever activity.

See also: [[Why don't we get bored with addictions]]

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Brain Predicts Its Error Rate