Many people complain that problems never come alone, or that when problems begin, they never end, in a way they are right, but it is probably not due to a conception of doom, but to a cognitive bias: the brain multiplies. problems.
Scientists have come to this conclusion through several experiments, the brain multiplies problems because, although it is a fabulous and complex organ, it also has limitations, which stem from the mind tending to create models for everything, because it is an organ way to save energy. However, these general guidelines are misleading.
- The importance of discovering that the brain multiplies problems is that this position allows us to be more critical and be aware of how thought works.
- To put a limit where it is needed.
- Otherwise the emotional difficulties and expenses that entail are more than necessary.
“We can’t solve problems by thinking the same way we do when we create them. “Albert Einstein?
Harvard University psychologist David Levari uses an illustrative comparison to explain the mechanism by which the brain multiplies problems: he says that in the face of danger, the brain acts in the same way as neighborhood surveillance systems.
Such systems are activated when there is a lot of insecurity in a neighborhood, their function is to alert the presence of strangers or suspicious actions that lead to thinking about possible thefts, when they detect that something is wrong immediately inform the police to take action.
These systems usually work by reducing insecurity, the logic would be that, in this case, alerts would also decrease, but that does not happen, which usually happens is that guards begin to see danger signs in situations or actions that did not happen before. arouse suspicion.
It’s like an alarm went off and it can’t go out. The brain works the same way. Because alerts are triggered by the presence of a problem (and each problem involves an implicit danger), can’t you turn them off?Or block them on their own, but feed them.
To conclude that the brain multiplies problems several experiments have been conducted, one of the best known, which later became a viral test on social media, was published in the prestigious journal Science.
For the experience 1000 participants were summoned, all with a completely normal vision, all received an image composed of 1000 points, with colors ranging from very intense blue to intense purple, the different shades were randomly distributed.
Participants were asked to say which points were blue and which were purple. In the first session, most identified the colored dots without any problem.
However, in later sessions, the concept of blue seemed to be developing more and more, so in the end, volunteers even saw the dots that were clearly purple like blue. What does that mean?
Experience shows us that, in reality, the brain tends to establish patterns in an increasingly rigid way. Thus, participants, who were initially able to clearly distinguish blue from violet, were increasingly likely to apply the blue criterion to “everything. “
Why does this show that the brain multiplies problems?When faced with a problem a subjective warning sign appears, so we are dedicating our efforts to solving the problem, however, even after achieving this goal, the brain continues to apply risk. criteria for phenomena that do not fall into this category.
A daily example: a person argues with his boss and this makes him angry, so she goes to his office and does not find his pen, not because he has lost it, but because he is always dazed and his senses are being kidnapped in a way. or another. It’s not uncommon for a person in this situation to say, “Today everything is wrong with me,” when reality isn’t like that.
In times of pandemic this also happens, precisely because we all face a big problem, so it is not uncommon for a strong wind or an earthquake to be interpreted as a sign of the end of time, the brain simply acts in an alert pattern. and it cannot stop We must be vigilant so that this cognitive bias does not prevail.