How to think well: 9 keys to reason clearly

If something characterizes the contemporary lifestyle (at least in Western countries) it is that information abounds. With a couple of clicks we are able to access all kinds of data, lessons that only a few decades ago were only accessible in certain libraries and museums. Technology has become our second brain, one with photographic memory.

However, despite the great advantage that computing and the Internet have brought, our way of thinking remains the same as always. Which is bad, because in the face of the bombardment of information that we are subjected to every day, it is difficult to orient ourselves, to take a reliable mental route through which to reach a solid conclusion.

Therefore, it will be useful for you to begin to take control of your own decisions and lines of reasoning by helping you with the tips to think well that you can read below.

• Related article: "The 9 types of thought and their characteristics"

How to think well?

The downside of having the ability to create virtually any concept imaginable is that it's very easy to get lost in the maze of opinions, beliefs, and ideas that inhabit our brains. But knowing how to build thought processes that are reliable is not entirely impossible. Keep in mind the keys that you will read below.

1. Beware of polysemy

There are many occasions in which the same word changes its meaning in the middle of the reasoning that we were following or that another person exposes, without us noticing. This happens a lot, for example, with the etymological fallacy, which consists of pretending that a word means only what its etymology denotes.

For example, if someone says that marriage between two men should not exist because the etymology of the word indicates the female presence in In this act, he is using two different concepts: the traditional conception of marriage and the modern conception of it, mixing them without justification.

• You may be interested in: "The 10 types of logical and argumentative fallacies"

2. Avoid the false dichotomy

There are people who try to prove themselves right by explaining, directly or more or less concealedly, that if they are not you agree, you are part of a despicable group of people to which almost no one wants to belong: fascists, fanatics, etc You must detect this strategy and realize that you do not have to belong to a group of people simply because you share a quality with them (disagree with your interlocutor, for example).

3. Memorizing is not always the solution

Many times, it is much more useful to remember how a type of information can be accessed than to memorize the information itself.

• You may be interested in: "Types of memory: how does the human brain store memories?"

4. set sequential guidelines

One of the most important aspects of thinking well is to organize yourself correctly, also psychologically.

For example, when faced with more or less complex reasoning, many people get very nervous thinking about which aspect of the problem to tackle first. Instead of that, forget about time and dedicate yourself to establishing a small plan with the "milestones" that you must go on fulfilling your thought until you reach the goal, the final solution.

To do this, imagine a series of train stops and try to move along that route, concentrating on only one objective at a time.

5. Don't be afraid of what they might think

One of the aspects of life that limits our thinking the most is being afraid of what others say, since this can make us let's give up thinking about something every time we intuit that the course of thought may end up leading to an opinion unpopular.

Withdrawing like that is not only frustrating; besides, makes us feel insecure thinking about it, since we know that it is not convenient for us to explain topics that can make us enter into uncomfortable contradictions (with our ideas or with those of the majority) and, furthermore, we have gone far enough in reasoning to doubt what we think we know.

6. Spot pseudo-concepts and avoid them

Sometimes, there are certain reflections that include several highly imprecise concepts, which seem to be there to adorn. You must detect them in other people's words so you don't waste time wondering what they mean and avoid falling into their use.

7. Beware of substantive processes

When we talk about psychology and mental processes, it is very common to fall into the trap of turning something that is a process into a noun. For example, we would never say that we have reached home using the movement of the car.

If we take this into account, we are more likely to think better, since we will not treat interaction dynamics as if they were people or elements separated from their context.

8. Think attention is crucial

To think well it is not necessary to take everything into account. We simply have to start from a situation in which we have detected what information is relevant and what is not, and focus on the first of these. Otherwise, an overwhelming amount of information would cause us to do nothing, which is worse than leaving out some of the data related to the topic we are talking about.

9. Compare things that are really comparable

When you compare two countries, make sure that their history, location, culture, and economic situation are comparable, for example. On the other hand, it compares the specific with the specific and the general with the general. The effectiveness of a therapy, for example, does not change because there is more or less one person who says they have benefited from it.