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Film summary
Early in life, your brain does not recognize your reflection as "you." The mirror test is a classic experiment that shows when we become able to recognize ourselves.Key facts
- Being aware of your "self" is not a skill you are born with.
- It can take around two years before our brains have any sense of self-awareness.
- Before we develop self-recognition we cannot develop an autobiographical memory.
- The development of self-awareness marks the start of our own life history.
Transcript
A monkey can't recognize itself in a mirror.
But a chimp can.
It's an ability we take so much for granted that it's hard to imagine life without it.
But being aware of your "self" is not a skill humans are born with.
When you started your life, your brain did not know …
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