Shock is simply one type of surprise; there are many others. The definition of surprise, however, is something that is unexpected or unanticipated. It occurs whenever your brain informs you that you were mistaken. The human brain goes through the “surprise sequence” when someone or something surprises them. A powerful neural alert signals to us that we need to pay attention since this moment is significant. Our cognitive abilities are essentially taken over and drawn into the present. Because your attention is entirely focused on the present, that is one of the things that is both extremely uncomfortable for some individuals and thrilling for others. Humans actually physically freeze for a quarter of a second when they are startled. Surprises typically result in something Luna refers to as “find” in the brain, which drives people to produce tremendous interest in an effort to understand what is happening during a surprise.
The subsequent step is shift. If the surprise is something that compels you to alter your viewpoint, you must alter your previous perspective. If you surprised me or gave me a gift when I wasn’t expecting it, I would have to modify how I feel about you and perhaps even our relationship as a whole.
