Second-order thinking: what it is, examples, and how to apply it to life

Human beings use different ways of thinking to approach problems and face adverse situations. We have several tools such as lateral thinking for creativity, logical thinking for reasoning, probabilistic thinking for uncertainty and many others.

One of the most useful is second-order thinking, which we are going to delve into below, explaining what it consists of, giving some examples and showing its usefulness and application. If you want to find out, you know, keep reading to find out more.

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What is second order thinking?

Second-order thinking can be defined in a single sentence: thinking about what is thought. It consists of analyzing the hypothetical consequences of the consequences of something that we have at hand or what we could do immediately. This way of thinking is used to better understand reality, solve problems, make decisions and generate new ideas. Although it is very useful and necessary in many situations, it is also a very rare thought process.

Most of the time, when we have to solve something, we only think about short-term solutions and effects. We value first of all the consequences and immediate impacts of an idea or action, without giving it too many laps nor go a step further for the simple fact that it generates a little fatigue mental. That would be the first order thought.

Second order thinking is within the framework of logical and rational thinking. Nevertheless, what differentiates it from first-order thinking is the projection it reaches. In the first order, only the immediate effect of an action is analyzed, while in the second order, the effect of the effect, the consequences of the consequences, is evaluated. And whoever says second order, can also say third, fourth, fifth... the question is to analyze what the chain repercussions of a given action are.

Second-order thinking involves digging a little deeper and thinking beyond the immediate consequences. As it is more demanding than everyday thinking, this is the main reason why it is less used. It is a pity because, thinking like this, we obtain a much more effective tool, both personally and in other fundamental dimensions of our lives such as employment, studies or the economy. Thinking in the long term and focusing on the possible consequences beyond the immediate ones helps us to make better decisions.

There are few more words that we can add to the definition of what second-order thinking is, so we are going to quote Shane Parish, founder of Farnam Street, who defines it very well:

“Second-order thinking is more deliberate. It is thinking in terms of interactions and time, understanding that despite our intentions, our interventions often cause harm. Second-order thinkers ask: And then what?

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Biases that make it difficult to think about what is thought

As we said, we tend to think by focusing on the immediate consequences of our actions. We tend to be short-term, and despite being an extremely complex organ, the human brain does not like complexity and complication too much.. He prefers strategies that help him save energy and for this reason he usually opts for the easiest and simplest options to apply.

Added to this, the human mind is captivated by various cognitive biases that influence our way of thinking. Among the most notable we find:

1. optimistic bias

As its name suggests, the optimistic bias has to do with the very human tendency to think that everything will be fine. This cognitive distortion often means that the first idea that comes to mind is attractive enough not to think of other alternatives.

In other words, we have the innocent conviction that the idea in which we believe or the plan that we have in mind to carry out has many possibilities of being successful, and for that reason we don't delve in and brainstorm ideas to increase our chances.

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2. anchor effect

The anchor effect leads us to trust too much in the first information we receive or idea that we think and notoriously influences our decision making. The first thing we receive is more likely to stay in our mind, it is anchored. This makes us accept or reject something based on very little data.

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3. Endowment Effect

The endowment effect leads us to think that something is worth more for the simple fact of having it.. This prevents us from objectively seeing the value of our own and that of others. We perceive the immediate consequences of an action as already obtained, while the long-term ones we see as something still alien to our possession and we do not value it as much.

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Practical example of when this type of thinking is not used

Second-order thinking is a very recurrent tool both in the world of science and in the business sector, but the truth is that it can be applied in absolutely any situation, including our personal life. At the end of the day, it is one more thought pattern that helps in decision making, problem solving and damage prevention, leaving the simple and obvious analyzes and analyzing reality in a more deep.

Furthermore, second-order thinking can lead us to more interesting ideas and more effective solutions. Of course, as we said, it can cause a bit of mental fatigue because thinking beyond the direct consequences of our actions implies making an additional effort, invest in cognitive resources not used in ordinary thinking, but it also offers more benefits.

To understand the importance of second-order thinking, we are going to talk about a real case resulting from not having used it, and just limit yourself to thinking about the most immediate actions of the actions:

It happened in India when it was a British colony. The city of Delhi was suffering from a plague of cobra snakes, which was a real headache for both citizens and local authorities. The animal was not only dangerous for people, but also for domestic and farm animals, assuming large economic losses.

Something had to be done to reduce the overpopulation of such a harmful reptile and the authorities concluded that it would be useful and productive for the population to collaborate in combating the plague. To do this, they set a monetary reward for those who turned in the dead animals, something that seemed to work very well at the beginning of the campaign.

But as in everything in this world, there is always someone who knows how to take advantage of the situation. Some citizens saw a business opportunity in this of delivering dead cobras to the authorities, so it occurred to them to breed the snakes and then kill them and collect the reward, turning gold.

In the end, the authorities realized the trap and removed the reward. One might think that the problem would not get worse, but the reality was worse. The snake breeders, seeing that it was no longer of any use to them to raise or kill them, chose to release them. It was much cheaper for them to do so than to kill them. As a consequence of this, the population of snakes was even greater, aggravating the plague even more than it was at the beginning.

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How to use second order thinking?

Second-order thinking is very useful in countless situations of all kinds, although, naturally, it cannot be used for absolutely all problems. For example, it would not make much sense to use it to know what clothes to wear or what brand of potatoes to buy, unless this is clearly decisive for something. The logical thing is to apply it in more relevant matters, whose chain of consequences conditions our well-being or other aspects of our life in the long term.

The key to applying second-order thinking is to use the “So what?” formula. for consequences of the chain of consequences of a hypothetical action. For example:

• "I'm going to quit my job, and then what?"
• "I won't have to work every day anymore, so what?"
• "I won't be under so much stress anymore, now what?"
• "I'll be more relaxed, now what?"
• “Being more relaxed, it will be more difficult for me to start looking for a new job, and now what?”
• "If I don't get a new job, I won't make any money, now what?"
• "I'll have bills I can't pay, now what?"
• “I will be stressed again and, now, without a job”

Another example:

• "I'm going to buy an electric car, and then what?"
• "I won't have to go back to the gas station anymore, so what?"
• "I'll be able to charge it at home, and then what?"
• “The electricity bill will go up, and then what?”
• "I'll spend more on that account than I used to on gas, and then what?"

We could give countless examples of this type, but at this point it will surely be clear. Second-order thinking helps us to think about the consequences of things and it is especially useful to do so by thinking about what will happen in longer periods of time, such as months and years.

Some tips for using second order thinking:

• Ask yourself what the desired and undesired outcomes will be when making a decision.
• Anticipate possible new problems before solving another one.
• Brainstorm and try to generate new ones based on previous ideas.
• Try to find real applications for a new concept or proposed solution.

It is not an easy exercise, but applying it in our day to day life can save us more than one disappointment. in the form of unforeseen consequences due to impulsive and poorly thoughtful decision making. We must think about the possible victims of our actions, the risks, assess the advantages and disadvantages of an action and its possible consequences.