Скачать или смотреть What Neuroscience and Zen Agree On About the Self

Are you really the “CEO” of your own mind—or is that idea quietly working against you?

In this episode of Decide For Yourself, we examine the CEO Self Model: the deeply ingrained belief that human behavior is directed by a single, persistent, autonomous executive self. While this model dominates modern self-help culture, psychology, and productivity thinking, both neuroscience and Buddhist philosophy suggest something very different.

This video explores the benefits of rejecting the CEO self model, including reduced anxiety, increased clarity, greater creativity, and a more compassionate understanding of human behavior. Instead of a central controller issuing commands, we look at the self as a dynamic, distributed process—an ongoing interaction of conditions rather than a fixed authority.

Drawing on Zen insights, cognitive science, and practical observation, this talk explains why letting go of control does not lead to chaos, but to responsiveness and coherence. We unpack concepts such as non-self (anattā), effortless action, and why the feeling of being “in charge” may actually be a narrative added after the fact.

If you’ve ever felt exhausted trying to manage your thoughts, emotions, or identity, this video offers a different way forward—one grounded in observation rather than belief, and experimentation rather than doctrine.

Watch closely, test it for yourself, and decide for yourself whether the CEO was ever really there.

Topics covered:
– CEO self vs distributed self
– Zen and non-self
– Control, agency, and freedom
– Why letting go improves clarity
– Neuroscience and decision-making
– Creativity without an inner manager