Brainwave woo

{{sources needed}}{{psychic}}
{{cquote|My brain is only a receiver, in the Universe there is a core [[Other_ways_of_knowing|from which we obtain knowledge, strength and inspiration]]. I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but I know that it exists.|||[[Nikola Tesla]]}}
'''Brainwave woo''' (or "'''biofeedback'''") is pretty self-explanatory: It refers to any [[woo]] surrounding the manipulation of brainwaves. Brainwave woo is like the less appreciated younger brother of [[quantum woo]], in that both are commonly [[shoehorning|shoehorned]] into any old [[pseudoscience]] to give it a veneer of legitimacy. Brainwave woo is a favorite of dirty effin' [[Fun:Hippie|hippies]], [[quack|quacks]], and [[Deepak Chopra]] (but I repeat myself).<ref group=note>Update: It has been demonstrated that Deepak Chopra is not in fact a ''hippie''. ''Dirty'' and ''effin'', however, are still in play.</ref> They have been used to create altered states of consciousness.

==What brain waves are==
Brain waves, officially called {{wpl|neural oscillations||,}} are patterns of brain activity repeated several times per second, which can be detected from the outside by means of equipment such as an electroencephalograph. Their functional role is still not fully understood.

For those not in the know, here are the basic categories of brainwaves:
*Delta (up to 4 hz): Sleeping, some attention tasks.
*[[Theta healing|Theta]] (4-7 hz): Drowsiness, inaction, inhibition in response to stimuli, dreams.
*[[Alpha waves|Alpha]] (8-13 hz): Inhibition, relaxation.
*Beta (14-30 hz): Alertness, normal concentration.
*Gamma (31-100+ hz): More extreme forms of sensory stimulation, heightened concentration.

It is important to note that these frequency ranges are merely ''detected'' in certain regions of the brain (and rarely occur in multiple regions at once), more often than not, when a given person is in these mental states. [[Correlation does not imply causation|This does not at all mean that you can ''make'' somebody slip into one of these states by forcefully inducing brain waves at these frequencies.]]

==Brainwave manipulation for fun and profit==
Brainwave woo is usually based on the notion that there is an "ideal" or "higher" state of [[mind|consciousness]] that can be activated by manipulating brainwaves. Alpha and theta waves are common choices, as can be seen from the prevalence of [[ThetaHealing]], which is brainwave woo in overdrive, and the various woo surrounding [[alpha waves]].<ref>[http://www.skepdic.com/alphawaves.html Alpha Waves], [[The Skeptic's Dictionary]]</ref>

Products or techniques sold based on this idea generally claim to "adjust" your brainwaves to their "natural" or "heightened" state. This is based on the scientific concept called brainwave entrainment, where a periodic stimulus is provided that aims to bring electroencephalograph (EEG) readings into line with the period of the stimulus. Entrainment, however, does not have any lasting effect once the stimulus is shut off. Products based on entrainment usually make two fallacies:

*There are no "ideal" brainwaves that will make you super-smart, diligent, etc. There is no "higher" state of consciousness that can only be accessed through adjustment of brainwaves.
*Brainwaves are not uniform across the entire brain. EEG readings will differ depending on the area of the brain and will have different meanings in different circumstances. In other words, physiology is not that simple. 

One particularly silly set of claims surrounding brainwaves is that because young children's brains tend to produce more theta waves, using entrainment products to increase theta waves will help you "find your inner child" or similar nonsense. In reality, it'll probably just make you drowsy.

Products that use [[binaural beats]], like [[I-Doser]], often base their claims on brainwave woo. They can, in fact, have a [[placebo effect]], but it's much cheaper, just as effective, and more enjoyable to just play music that you find relaxing, exciting, or whatever depending on what kind of mood you're aiming for. Brainwave woo is also commonly attached to [[hypnosis]], quack mental therapy and [[alternative medicine]], [[meditation]] and other [[religious]] or [[spiritual]] exercises (higher states of consciousness, maaaan), [[remote viewing]] or [[telepathy]] (the idea that certain brain waves can allow for [[ESP]]), and [[drugs]].

==Brainwave manipulation for ''evil''==
Since [[extreme low frequency]] radio waves cover the same frequency range as brain waves, some conspiracy theorists believe that they can therefore induce brain waves. This makes about as much sense as the notion that low-frequency radio waves can induce waves on a lake (they can't). Sensibility never stood in the way of a good conspiracy theory, though, and so poor old [[HAARP]] — which produces such extremely low-frequency radio waves — is claimed to be a [[mind control]] device. A similar 
theory
 peculiar notion was also peddled decades ago in connection with the ''Russian Woodpecker'', an extreme low-frequency signal generated by Soviet radar installations.

==See also==
*[[Brain gym]]
*[[Quantum biofeedback]]
*[[Schumann Resonance]]
*[[Sound healing]]

==External links==
*See [http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Electroencephalogram Scholarpedia's EEG entry] for more on the actual science of brainwaves.
*[[Steven Novella]] takes on brainwave woo: [http://theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=287 Brainwave entrainment and marketing pseudoscience], [http://theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=291 Brainwave entrainment, a response], [http://theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=34 Neurofeedback and the need for science-based medicine]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090325053220/http://scienceblogs.com/scientificactivist/2009/03/dc_celebrates_pseudoscience.php DC celebrates pseudoscience], Scientific Activist
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081217135144/http://www.mindtweaks.com/wordpress/?p=973 Synchronized Spiritual Woo and Brainwaves for You], Mind Tweaks
==Notes==
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==References==
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[[Category:Psychology]]
[[Category:Science woo]]
[[Category:Parapsychology]]
[[Category:New Age]]
[[Category:Pseudopsychology]]

Categories: Psychology, Science woo, Parapsychology, New Age, Pseudopsychology