What is the butterfly effect

In today's post we are going to talk about the butterfly effect. A metaphor, which is used in the field of theoretical physics linked to chaos theory. Edward Lorenz, is the mathematician and meteorologist who explains everything related to this term. And who also points out that the flapping of a butterfly's wings in a remote part of the world can start a storm in the reverse direction. Here the question that more than one of us has come up with after reading this, is this theory true?

The butterfly effect tries to tell us that small actions can be capable of generating important changes, either positive or, quite the opposite. No matter how minimal the initial change is, it can be amplified in the short or medium term. Both chaos theory and the butterfly effect tell us that the universe is totally unpredictable.

All of us we are like little butterflies flapping our invisible wings. When we make a small change, it can be an act of empathy towards another person, this can initiate a change in us. In summary, the main idea that defines the butterfly effect is that a sequence of events triggered by each other can have completely unknown consequences.

Who is the father of this theory?

Edward Lorenz, is the leading figure of the theorya, and it was he who considered weather to be continuous chaos. He affirmed this because the initial conditions will never be known for sure.

With his studies over time and observing the variations that occurred with the slightest change, Edward concluded, in the idea that a small change can produce certain alterations in a short or medium period of time.

The butterfly effect indicates that in systems as subjective as the weather, the economy, the stock market, etc., It is very difficult to be able to predict exactly what is going to happen., that's why we usually talk about probabilities.

What is the butterfly effect theory?

this theory, it has come to inspire film industry professionals, writers, artists, and other scientists in its study and development of new theories. In the year 1952, the writer Ray Bradbury launches “The sound of thunder”, a work in which a character walks over a butterfly and this makes the consequences important in his life.

Years later, in 1961, what seemed like a fictional book theory becomes a scientific reality. Edward Lorenz, as we have commented in the previous section, elaborates a mathematical model with which he studies the state of the weather.

The butterfly effect that we are talking about is a metaphor that is used in order to explain chaos theory. According to this theory, the universe in which we live there are susceptible systems when different variations or changes occur. These changes, however minimal they may be, can cause various consequences in a chaotic and unexpected way.

In chaos theory, there is talk of an assumption that we are going to explain to you right now and that you should try to imagine. Imagine that there are two completely equal worlds, the only difference between one and the other is that in one of them there is a tiny variation. It is believed that, with the passage of time, the slightest difference between one universe and another can lead to both differing in a more notable way.. To such an extent that it is impossible to guarantee that these universes were once the same.

Both chaos theory and the butterfly effect try to certain sectors do not speak with accurate predictions. But let them do it, by probabilities, since as we have seen the slightest thing can lead to new results.

The idea behind the butterfly effect can be defined by this Chinese proverb that says that "the flutter of a butterfly can be felt on the other side of the world".

But what about chaos theory?

Chaos theory in its beginnings, was a challenge for the classical physics of the time. This physics was the one that followed the guidelines of Newton's laws. These laws say that, if the initial conditions or aspects of a certain situation or object are known, it is possible to easily predict the behavior of this past time. That is, these laws can be defined as deterministic laws.

Thanks to the figure of Isaac Newton, we can talk about the movements made by the planets, the path that a bullet makes when it is fired, among many other discoveries.

As we have seen before, chaos theory warns us that no matter how small the variations are at the beginning, with the passage of time, whether in the short, medium or long term, accurate predictions will be impossible. On the contrary, Newton's laws state that given reliable data, predictions can be made reliably.

It is more than proven that non-linear chaotic phenomena are becoming more abundant. These can be observed both in our society, and in nature or the environment. This can be seen in certain economic systems such as the stock market, chemistry, sciences related to biomedicine, aerodynamics, the movement of the stars, etc.

Are psychology and the butterfly effect related?

we have already seen, that small acts can produce big changes. In psychology, this idea is well known and transmitted, which is why the butterfly effect theory is present in this sector.

Within psychopathology, a fairly illuminating case can be observed. A person who is sad or depressed may not initially notice an improvement by beginning, for example, to be more attentive to her personal hygiene. But over time, this action will have helped him in that process of overcoming. Thanks to this example, It can be seen how people can change through small gestures.

The butterfly effect theory is not only used to understand that there are processes of change. But also it is useful, for the development of an essential psychological competence. That is, adapting to the unknown and having greater mental flexibility.

the math professor James Yorke points out that without chaos theory and the butterfly effect, the human species would not have been able to adapt to each of the remains that have been presented to us since its appearance.. We must be prepared to face any unforeseen event and for the effect it may have on each of our lives.

It may happen that the alterations that occur to us after a certain change are positive and are favorable to us. But the opposite can also happen, it may be that these negative consequences bring out our most creative side, our mental strength, positive side, etc., to stand up to them.

Professor of astrophysics at the University of Sussex, John Gribbin in his book "Deep Simplicity" tells us that the human species is one of the most fragile systems in the universe. And that this happens more specifically, in the childhood phase. During that age, the slightest thing can remain etched in our minds forever, and can become traumatic, but it can help us awaken a new feeling within us.

How we behave, what we say or do not only has a direct impact on us but also on those around us. Therefore, we must be aware of certain aspects of our behavior to take care of them or even correct them. Since we know that any specific action can give us both positive and negative effects as results. Therefore, we must be vigilant to generate positive influences and balance.

Both the theory of chaos and the butterfly effect explain the behavior of nature, the human body to the path that drops of water take when it rains. In psychology, the butterfly effect theory influences when people realize that each of our actions does not have a marked beginning and end. But the effects can occur at any time, that is, they are open, we do not know what they can be or when they can occur.

Back to the original question, can the flapping of a butterfly's wings in a remote part of the world start a storm in the reverse direction? Remember that all our acts, attitudes and decisions are related and that an action always brings a response which we cannot know one hundred percent of the consequences it will bring us.

This theory can arouse the curiosity of each of us and therefore want to know more about it. But also, there are those who experience feelings of anguish and suffering upon discovering that everything revolves around uncertainty. This is something that can even become the basis of different disorders.