When we vehemently believe in something and are presented with evidence that challenges that belief, we have two choices: the first is to realize that we may be wrong, to assume that our opinion is incorrect, and to rethight our point of view. using reversible thinking.
Or the other existing possibility that humans generally prefer: to do the exact opposite, to cling to our beliefs and make them irreversible. To be blind to the existence of another reality and to maintain our position firmly. The same goes for the wonderful complexity and imperfection of the human brain.
- Reversible thinking is people’s ability to reason bidirectionally.
- That is.
- In one direction and their opposite.
- This gives us the ability to solve complex problems and allows us to see all the intermediate positions between two opposing opinions.
It is a way of thinking that broadens our vision and facilitates overcoming difficulties, both professional and personal, with this reversibility we can see our conflicts or problems from a broader perspective and address them in a more direct and logical way.
On the opposite side is polarized thinking, which is definitive, that is, one thing is one thing or another, there is no common ground or a possible discussion on the subject, this polarity leaves us stagnant, motionless and paralyzed.
If we can place ourselves at one of the intermediate points of this continuum, we can harness the potential of our reversible thinking. It’s the thought that really gets us moving.
He thinks you’re walking in a forest, walking for hours and very hungry. On top of a mountain, in the distance, you see an apple tree. You’re running towards her. His eyes focus on the wonderful apples, but when you go there you realize that the apples are rotten, you can’t eat them. However, along the way you came, there were fruit trees of all kinds, did you look around ?!
This is how the human brain sometimes works. Many times we behave like donkeys, we look straight ahead, without worrying about turning our heads and looking at what is happening around us, we wander, unable to assimilate the contradiction and abandon our beliefs, it is not stubbornness, something more focused on the study of personality traits, is submission to irreversibility.
In particular, the possible reactions to evidence contrary to our beliefs are 8 (Chinn and Brewer, 1933), the first 3 are more typical of irreversible thinking: ignore, deny and erase the data, the last 5 are reversible thinking: suspend judgment, reinterpret the data, accept it, make peripheral changes in theory; and accept the data and change theories.
Our brain is not as perfect as we think, although it is considered a detailed organ, dedicated to accurate rational analysis, but when we ask ourselves this question about the reversibility of thought, we realize that it is not.
We tend to focus our efforts on finding data, evidence, assumptions that confirm our beliefs. We rarely choose otherwise. If we tried to look for evidence to defeat our tendencies, the brain would interpret them as a self-button and try to get the idea out of our heads.
“Reversibility is the most defined feature of intelligence. -Jean Piaget-
It is enough to find an indication that we have reason to reaffirm our thinking and fulfill. For example, someone who is convinced that tobacco does not harm their health will search the two million pages of the Internet for what says “smoking prolongs life”.
Although this is a mistake, if we don’t have reversible thinking, this phrase will let us go. Millions of pages that indicate otherwise and several studies confirming the evils caused by tobacco, we would have one that reinforces our conviction.
Have you heard of heuristics? It is a kind of mental shortcut that our brain uses to save energy, that is, if the same result is achieved in two ways, the brain will try to use the one in which the least resources should be used.
This means that we are governed by a principle of mental economy, it is uncontrollable and intangible that escapes our consciousness and is an explanation of why our brain prefers to look for data that validates our assumptions rather than data that contradicts them.
For reversible thinking to occur, formal, logical and rational thinking is necessary. This involves an effort that our brains are not always ready to endure. Is it easier to decide and conform to an opinion?Our brain suffers from cognitive laziness! It is necessary to demystify its operation and know that it usually use any method to get rid of the job.
This happens all the time in our daily lives. It may sound strange, but no one is exempt, in the face of the same event we can hold on to our opinion without worrying about the rest or broadening our vision and paying attention to controversies.