[abeppu]

If our attention was based on the shape of magnetic fields, then shouldn't fMRI studies basically not work? Our attention modulation mechanisms would be swamped by a much larger field right? But people have normal attention near powerful magnets so this seems like a nonstarter?

[aithrowawaycomm]

I agree this specific write up is pretty unscientific, but the idea is that it’s a largely electrostatic field - obviously not literally static, but the impact of magnetism should be relatively small w.r.t. Maxwell’s equations.

I am not sure people have normal cognition/consciousness around strong magnets: MRIs are associated with slower response times and cognitive fog https://www.nature.com/articles/npre.2008.2443.1 But at least some of that might be related to magnetic dipoles at a cellular/micro-level vs. “field disruption.”

[Jarwain]

My interpretation (from a quick skim) is that it's not Literally based on the shape of magnetic fields, but rather they're applying the abstract "model" of how fields work to try and model how attention works

[Jarwain]

Jk on a second glance they're taking it a bit more literally than I initially thought