The Golden Ratio Organizes Neural Complexity Across Consciousness States
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) March 21, 2026 Jon Wiberg
What value does the brain's fractal complexity reach at the edge of consciousness? Across 414,961 EEG epochs from 153 sleeping adults, the answer is consistently φ = 1.618 — the golden ratio. All conscious states (Wake, N1, REM) show mean Higuchi fractal dimension above this value; all unconscious states (N2, N3, N4) fall below it, with Cohen's d = 2.77. The boundary replicates under propofol...