Qualia: What Your Subjective Reality Feels Like

Diving into Subjective, Conscious Experiences

The redness of an apple, the goosebumps you get when listening to a favorite song, and why you prefer pineapple on pizza. There's irony in describing something that encompasses feelings so deeply personal and unique — that it's indescribable. Qualia are the subjective, first-person experiences of perception — the “what it feels like” aspect of mental states. If the mind is considered the by-product of the brain, then qualia can be considered a by-product of the mind. Another enigmatic mechanism of consciousness. But what is qualia, really?

QUALIA

It’s what separates all eight billion of us into eight billion of our own separate, personal little worlds only we can experience. It's the phenomenally subjective, individual experiences that cannot be demonstrated or accurately described. Trying to objectively define instances of qualia is akin to explaining what color is to a blind person, describing what music sounds like to a deaf person, or making an attempt to break down what love is to a robot.

Qualia is the intrinsic, immersive flow state-like rush I get from writing an article, it's the warmth I feel from eating my favorite comfort food (barbeque pulled chicken with mac & cheese, mmm), or the anxious, disorienting feelings I might encounter when faced with a daunting, new challenge. As much as I try, it's impossible to convey what those things truly feel like to another person. It's such a personal, self-contained phenomenon, neuroscience and psychology struggle to study and explain it because it simply cannot be objectively observed.

While Qualia is limited as a collective, objective experience, it's limitless as an introspective, individual experience. It encompasses everything we've ever felt since birth and It can be attributed to what makes up one’s identity and sense of self, as well as what shapes us into who we are as individuals. It is informed by upbringing, environment, and over time, has been curated through the exposure of life events.

QUALIA AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

Going back to my "8 billion separate little worlds" imagery: Think of a plethora of alternate realities co-existing on one planet, simultaneously. Qualia is why a theater full of people can all experience a movie differently, why someone is attracted to things their close friends and family may dislike; and why one's favorite color is blue.

Because of qualia, no two people perceive life the exact same way, and for that reason, I make a conscious decision not to argue with people who have long-established beliefs that differ from my own. It’s why I don't judge people who have different preferences or tastes than mine. It’s why I heavily empathize — though never compare myself — with others. I believe it's worth truly understanding qualia and its notion that we're all just living unique, individual lives within our own private bubbles of perception.