Cognition is the highest-order buffer in the hierarchy of life—a structure that stores information, regulates uncertainty, and enables adaptive behavior under resource constraints. Starting from the three axioms of Energy-Efficiency Theory (EET), this paper develops an interpretation of cognition as an informational buffer. The self-boundary (the distinction between self and non-self) serves as the cognitive boundary; knowledge structures (cognitive points, blocks, networks, systems) store information as constrained-state energy; and attention, reasoning, and metacognition regulate the flow of information. Benshi sliding—the dynamic balance between conservation (bias toward the known) and expansion (bias toward the unknown)—is cognitively instantiated as the oscillation between relying on established knowledge and exploring new possibilities. We show that the cognitive cycle (disturbance → implicit processing → blockage → question → inquiry → matching → coherence → execution → calibration → revision) is the operational dynamics of the cognitive buffer. The framework unifies the membrane (cellular), body (physiological), and neuron (informational storage) buffers, demonstrating that the same logic of boundary, gradient, and sliding recurs across scales. Testable predictions relate cognitive flexibility to physiological measures (heart rate variability) and therapeutic interventions (cognitive behavioral therapy).
Hongpu Yang (2026) studied this question.