Add up all the senses you use and the things you notice: that’s your umwelt.

It’s pretty obvious that your dog has a different one than you do. They see fewer colors and smell far more intelligently. Sea slugs see a much wider range of colors, and bats can sense vibrations.

Among humans, we each have our own umwelt. Paying attention, after all, requires payment.

If your default range of inputs is working for you, that’s fabulous. But for most of us, we’re missing something, something we might not even realize.

What if we went looking for it?

December 26, 2023