What is cognition?
‘Cognition’ is a word that we’re not so unfamiliar with. In the age of Artificial Intelligence, we’ve often seen it surface as a way to describe the end goal of our super-intelligent machines. Yet in the realms of biology, Natural Intelligence, and health, cognition remains vague.
Cognition is how we take in, process, and act on information. It’s the invisible thread behind everything from finding your way to work to debating which main to share over dinner. At its core, cognition sits at the intersection of health and productivity.
When our brain suffers sudden or chronic damage, we lose certain parts of these abilities. Some lose their memory, others lose their ability to walk or talk. But our cognitive abilities don’t just falter when our brain is injured, they fluctuate every day. Ever noticed how your mind feels razor-sharp one morning, and foggy the next? That’s cognition in motion. Our brain is dynamic like the rest of our body, and our cognitive performance ebbs and flows like our physical performance. In order to optimize our cognition, we need to attend to three principles:
Our brain doesn’t work in isolation.
We need language for how our mind feels.
We need a measure of mind.
Each of these is critical to achieving our optimal brain health and cognitive function. Hear our founder, Jiali, break this down during her talk at SF Tech Week. Over the coming issues, we’ll unpack each of these principles and help you re-center your brain within your health and productivity routines.
At Soma, we’re building a world where people can understand and optimize their cognitive health just like their physical health. Join us.
Contribute to the conversation
Through Clarity, by Soma, we hope to answer your most pressing questions about the brain and cognitive health. Submit your questions here.
Invite your family, friends, and frenemies to join the movement.
Join us in person
We’ll be hosting a series titled Brain Supper Club: an intimate gathering of our community with experts to discuss topics that are top of mind. Follow our socials @try_soma for details about the inaugural supper.
Our Sunrise Cold Plunge and Soma Mini-Mart during SF Tech Week were huge successes. Given the excitement, we’re planning more events in the coming months, keep your eyes peeled.
Join the team behind the movement
Come build with us, say [email protected]