#Embodiedcognition

A growing wave of interdisciplinary research suggests that consciousness may emerge from a dynamic loop among the brain, the body, and the surrounding world—not simply from neural activity inside the skull. This body-brain-environment perspective challenges the long-held view that awareness resides exclusively in the head and invites readers to rethink everyday experiences of thinking, feeling, and deciding. For Thai readers, where mindfulness, community, and family play central roles in daily life, the idea has immediate resonance: awareness may unfold through physical sensation, social interaction, and the spaces we inhabit as much as through brain signals alone.

A wave of AI-driven decision making is prompting a rethink of what it means to think. A recent expert-led analysis argues for “matter over mind”—a focus on body, environment, and action as sources of cognition. BEAM thinking reframes intelligence as distributed and enacted through movement and surroundings, not just neural processing.

BEAM thinking shifts away from the idea that the brain alone contains all intelligence. It emphasizes how bodily sensations, physical spaces, and purposeful actions influence thinking. This approach argues that AI cannot fully replicate embodied cognition, which underpins decision-making, creativity, and problem-solving in real life.

In a world increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence and algorithm-driven decision-making, new research is calling for a renewed embrace of what it means to “think like a human.” According to ideas introduced in a recent Psychology Today article by a business professor and leadership expert, the mantra “matter over mind”—highlighting the critical role of our bodies, environment, and actions in cognition—should become central for individuals and workplaces striving to stay relevant and resilient in the digital age (Psychology Today).