Subconscious Signals

Why is it sometimes easy to ignore your phone, and other times almost impossible? This talk explores how everyday emotions influence our self-control and how we respond to digital distractions competing for our attention.

We are constantly surrounded by odors and signals we don’t even notice. Your sense of smell is doing far more than helping you enjoy food; it’s picking up hidden signals all the time. In this talk, I’ll show how scientists use brain imaging and machine learning to explore how we detect and respond to invisible chemical cues such as body odors. Discover how your brain is quietly shaping your emotions and behaviour without you even realising it.

You are the last player alive on your team. Your heart is racing, your team is counting on you, in this moment nothing else matters. You go for the finishing move... you WIN!. Jubilation. You are elated... and then, the round is over. It is forgotten about and nothing has changed. Why do the outcomes of tasks in simulated environments produce such strong feelings when they are, in effect, meaningless? This talk explores that question through simulations of unmanned surface vessels, using autonomy, uncertainty, and decision-making under pressure to explain why virtual stakes can feel completely real.