Thinking in a broader sense means the combination of all conscious mental (mental) actions. In a narrower sense, we are talking about their most complex part, inherent in a specific person, providing abstraction and reflection.
Thinking moves from individual perception to general concepts, and through them to practical and theoretical perception of the world. The property is associated with sensory and spatial perception. It uses memory and creativity. This specific way of connecting, distinguishing, comparing and evaluating is significantly correlated with language, which is its means and, at the same time, its determining environment.
Logical thinking
Thinking logically before making emotional decisions is an ability that is desirable for most people. Logic is useful not only during study, work or various professional meetings. Logical thinking is also necessary in everyday life, in interpersonal communication, in establishing relationships (with friends, family, partners).
There are several ways to develop thinking in adults and children and improve logic.
Train your brain
The brain, like the rest of the body, can be trained. Try to improve its function every day by following these steps.
Memory and logic development technology:
- Memory is the basis of all types of thinking. Memory and attention training is an important step in developing thinking abilities. Try to improve it by doing small tasks, such as remembering your shopping list or favorite quotes.
- Pay attention to details. Do you like counting steps on the stairs? Do you often look for errors in the text? Or noticed that a colleague has a new watch? These are small details that can help train the brain, and therefore thinking.
- Solve puzzles, crosswords, sudoku. You will find that, just like in sports, your Sudoku solving abilities will improve over time. And this is one of the characteristics of a well-trained memory.
- Learn new things. Painting, a musical instrument, a foreign language - this can help you think logically.
Development of logical thinking in children
From an early age it is necessary to teach a child (except for speech and walking) the ability to think logically. The basics of logical thinking are especially useful for a child preparing to enter 1st grade. These skills will be useful not only in mathematics, but also in solving everyday life problems.
Learning through play
The age at which children can reason logically and master this skill is 3-4 years. It's best to start with board games, puzzles, construction sets, and simpler puzzles. Puzzle is the best game for developing logical thinking. It helps younger children develop their imagination. They not only have to select the appropriate shape for an individual component, but also present the picture in a general form.
Alternate games
Often a game whose meaning becomes clear to children ceases to be interesting. The child does everything automatically and does not find anything new. This does not support the development of logical thinking, so it is advisable to alternate between puzzles and toys. Do this taking into account the age - appropriate puzzles are suitable for children 3-5 years old; older preschoolers and primary schoolchildren will appreciate the construction set, thanks to which they will improve technical and spatial perception.
Take part in the games
It's good to take time to join the children in play. Especially at the beginning, when the child does not know the puzzle or construction set, explain to him what to do. If he has already created something, take an interest in the creation. Children love to make up different stories. With your question you will push him to think. This will contribute to the development of imagination and general logical thinking. Be genuinely interested. Do not leave to hang up the laundry or wash the dishes during communication.
Waiting for a child to tell a story is a good lesson in patience, concentration, and attentiveness. These properties will be useful at school. It is also good to explain to him what the past, present and future are, and how these terms are related to each other.
Together with parents, the child learns faster, understands events and connections better.
We develop thinking, intelligence, intelligence. Training bookVictor Sheinov, 2020
Brain Hygiene
“Only the broad and versatile life of the body in all the diversity of its functions, in all the variety of perceptions it delivers to the brain, can give a broad and energetic life to the brain itself,” wrote V.V. Veresaev.
The following factors are important for high brain performance and productivity until old age:
1) good sleep;
2) good mood;
3) health;
4) food;
5) constant active thinking;
6) preventing fatigue.
Full sleep.
Sleep is complete when a person wakes up alert and full of energy. Many people tend to think that the brain “turns off” during sleep. However, it has been proven that electrochemical activity, oxygen consumption and energy consumption in some of its parts even increase. Apparently, the parts of the brain rest alternately.
I put sleep in first place among the factors of brain hygiene because a sleep-deprived person has a bad mood, increased fatigue, and no desire to think actively. And if a person does not get enough sleep chronically, then this is a severe blow to health, well-being, and, consequently, appearance. It is no coincidence that many recognized beauties, among the “secrets” of their beauty that does not fade over the years, put in first place the fact that they sleep as much as their body requires.
The duration of sleep sufficient for complete restoration of strength is purely individual. Some people need six hours, others need at least eight. The criterion here is a feeling of cheerfulness. But sleep specialists have found that people who sleep the same number of hours every night live longer than those whose sleep duration changes. These same experts noted that lack of sleep contributes to the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system.
The role of sleep is perfectly illustrated by the example of Winston Churchill. He lived to an old age, although many things “did not predispose him to this”, rather the opposite: he was of a very corpulent build; smoked a lot (and strong cigars); had an unfavorable hereditary factor (there were no long-livers in his family); experienced extreme stress (he headed the British government twice, including at a critical moment in the history of England - during the Second World War).
But he had a habit of sleeping after lunch. And it, as it turned out, outweighed the totality of the listed unfavorable factors!
This wonderful habit also had one more ally from our list - constant active thinking. Churchill's aphorisms over the years are a brilliance of wit and a perspicacious look at the essence of things.
His creative activity did not decline until the last days of his life. Suffice it to say that he was Prime Minister of Great Britain for the second time at the age of 80, and after his resignation he created historical works for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
For those who would like to save on sleep without compromising their health and performance and get 2-3 extra hours daily for creative work (writing a dissertation, article, book), I inform you: if you go to bed at 10 pm, you can wake up at 4 am fully asleep. The whole morning is yours! Tested by personal experience.
Good mood.
Numerous experiments, and personal observations of each of us, show that mood directly affects the effectiveness of any activity. It was found, for example, that labor productivity in St. Petersburg factories increased if the local football team Zenit won a victory the day before.
For mental work, the mood is very, very important. A good manager knows that many subordinates who are scolded for a mistake immediately make new mistakes, and their number increases. That is why in Japanese management, where the “human factor” is used most effectively, criticism is prohibited.
I have a permanent chess partner. We have equal strength. The result is most strongly affected by the emotional state of my partner. This is an emotional person. If my partner is in a good mood, then I have a hard time at the board...
Health.
The brain is part of the body, and it obviously cannot be in good condition if the body is in bad shape. Moreover, if we don’t feel well, our brain switches from purely intellectual activity to regulating the physical state of the body. With a lack of energy, both physical and mental processes fade. Therefore, not only the statement “in order to be healthy, you need to be smart” is true, but also the opposite: “in order to be smart, you need to be healthy.”
You probably know the conditions necessary to maintain physical health: a balanced diet, exercise, protection from harmful influences and adequate rest. All of these factors affect overall physical health, but some have a specific impact on the brain. We will briefly focus on these factors.
Before we discuss the special needs of the brain, I suggest you answer the questions listed below. If you cannot answer “yes” to all the questions, it means that your health is not in the best condition and therefore the brain cannot function at its maximum efficiency.
1. Is your weight normal for your height and build? (Approximate formula: weight = height (cm) - 110. More accurate formula: body mass index = weight (kg) divided by the square of height (in meters); normal - from 18 to 25).
2. Can you run a block without losing your breath?
3. Can you reach the floor with your hands without bending your knees?
4. Can you take a deep breath in and out without coughing?
5. Do you wake up in the morning feeling energetic?
6. Are your hair, skin and nails in good condition?
If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you should immediately pay attention to your health. Remember: what is good for your body is also good for your brain, and what is bad for your body is doubly bad for your brain.
Brain nutrition.
As for the body as a whole, for the brain nutrition is one of the most important conditions for its performance and long-term effective functioning.
In addition to nutrients, blood carries the main fuel for the brain - oxygen. Making up only 2.2% of body weight, the brain consumes 20% of the oxygen it receives. Stopping the supply of oxygen for 5 seconds leads to loss of consciousness. And the lack of oxygen supply for 8 minutes leads to brain death.
For productive mental work, you need to get enough sleep and breathe oxygen. The blood must carry enough of it to ensure high brain activity and performance, and therefore good memory.
How to do it? One day a week (at least) should be spent outdoors. Interrupt mental work for short “oxygen” breaks, well ventilating the room. At this moment, it is best to do several physical exercises that “accelerate” the blood.
I will share my own technique for stimulating the brain through “oxygen breaks” during and before starting work: take a breath of fresh air near a wide-open window; This is especially effective when it’s cold outside. By the way, I start this simple procedure every day.
It is unproductive to engage in mental work in an unventilated or smoky room. Avoid using heating appliances with open flames and electric heaters with open coils. They "devour" oxygen.
Before serious work, it is better not to overeat, this will cause a rush of blood to the stomach, where the digestion process takes place. It is not for nothing that it is believed that the afternoon is the least productive time.
Active thinking.
Blood flows to the organ that is currently most active. And, accordingly, others get less of it. Therefore, there is a well-known joke that the dumbest ones are the weightlifters at the moment of lifting their apparatus.
Cerebral circulation is activated under the influence of emotions or intense brain activity. It slows down during sleep. Emotion or intense brain activity increases its temperature by 0.1 degrees. During sleep, it decreases by 0.3 degrees (due to the slowdown of most organs).
Fatigue and its prevention.
Both nerve cells and muscle cells become tired for the same reason: they can no longer obtain energy or nutrients quickly enough to function at the same level of activity.
We are all familiar with the feeling of muscle fatigue, but we do not think that the physiological causes of fatigue of nerve cells are exactly the same. The transmission of nerve (electrochemical) impulses to muscle tissue or neurons involves the rapid exchange of charged particles (ions), which we obtain from foods rich in potassium, sodium and calcium. And the “batteries” are recharged using the chemical energy contained in food.
When we encounter any problem, an active exchange of charged particles begins between brain cells. It takes quite a lot of energy to charge these particles, and if nerve cells have transferred too many ions in a short period of time, then they can no longer easily transmit nerve impulses because they have too little energy. This causes a feeling of fatigue, which is expressed in increased irritability, inability to concentrate, lethargy and a large number of mistakes made.
Brain fatigue is easy to notice: reaction time increases. We begin to have difficulty understanding what we are told, and it takes us more time to solve any problems.
Brain fatigue means that it cannot perceive and process information. He is finding it increasingly difficult to work, and he is trying his best to “tell” us about it. It is in our best interest to listen to what our brain is “telling” us.
Work in a state of fatigue, firstly, is ineffective: specific energy consumption increases sharply in proportion to the brain's resistance to excessive stress. Secondly, many more mistakes are made than when working in a normal state. And most importantly, this work is dangerous for the nervous system as a whole and for the brain in particular.
The following fact shows how dangerous intellectual overstrain is. The famous mathematician Leonard Euler became so interested in calculating integrals (they are now called “Eulerian integrals”) that he worked continuously for two days. As a result, one eye lost sight (this is evidenced by the black patch over one eye in Euler's later portraits).
It happens, of course, that urgent long-term work is inevitable: you need to submit a report on time, prepare for an exam, etc. However, when studying the organization of work of business people, it was found that important things become urgent, as a rule, if they are not taken up on time, they were put off. (You can read about how to avoid rush jobs and manage to do more with less time and effort in the author’s book “Where to find missing time and non-standard solutions” (St. Petersburg: Peter, 2017)).
To prevent fatigue, it is enough to take short breaks from work. It’s good if you can combine this with receiving positive emotions.
For example, during breaks I listen to my favorite tunes. Modern technology allows you to instantly, without wasting a second, immerse yourself in the world of beauty.
Abstract thinking
The ability to think is given to a person from birth, it is important to develop it, for which there are many books, games, programs and expert advice designed to help develop abstract thinking. The exercises include a number of puzzles and rebuses. Labor and creativity are no less effective: music, dancing, drawing.
To achieve maximum effect, it is recommended to train abstract thinking for about an hour several times a week. This will help you learn to find original ideas and solutions that can change the world.
There are many exercises aimed at developing abstract thinking. All of them are interesting and exciting, so there will be no problems with children’s attention.
Shadow play
An interesting way to develop abstract thinking is shadow theater. You can create anything with shadow. For example, you can come up with various stories and subsequently reproduce them. To organize a home shadow theater you will need:
- desk lamp;
- cardboard figures that you can make yourself.
Ask your child to reenact a favorite story. In the process of visualization, he uses abstract thinking and memory.
You can also play with the shadow on the wall, creating various images with your hands: a flying bird, a dog, a hare. Next, the child will come up with his own abstraction.
Exercise with clouds
While walking, invite your child to look at the clouds and describe what they look like. This is a very exciting activity. It will be no less interesting for adults.
At first, you can help your child a little, make him think. Come up with interesting stories. He will like this activity and will play with pleasure in the future.
Abstract thinking is not difficult to develop. The main thing is to conduct training systematically, to encourage the child in his attempts at imagination. Help him make simple, then complex, conclusions.
Creative thinking
Many people believe that creativity, hard work, a high level of self-organization and order are incompatible. But people with creative thinking have a lot of experience and highly developed creative abilities. All this requires significant effort, hard work, and responsibility. Creativity is a successful combination of thinking, skills, experience and inner openness to the world, the ability to learn at any age and in any situation.
Creativity is an open mind and heart. There are a number of practical methods and exercises for developing creativity. Remember that each exercise should help get rid of anxiety and change your habitual way of thinking. Let's look at the simplest and most effective exercises for developing creative thinking.
Unusual uses for ordinary things
Take a common item used in everyday life. Try to come up with the most non-standard options for its use. For example, a spoon. This is not only a device for eating. You can use it to make a unique lamp and use it to mark the place where flowers are planted in the garden.
Changing habits
From time to time, interrupt the usual course of things, change your habits. For example, if you go to the same restaurant for dinner every week or every day, change it up.
Try different cuisines from around the world, choose a new route to return home, etc. There are many small habits in life that hinder the development of creative thinking. Try to expand the boundaries, go beyond them.
Search for new solutions
If a problem arises, do not try to solve it as usual. People often think that coming up with new ways to solve a problem when old methods work is crazy. But A. Einstein argued that insanity is doing the same things and expecting a new result. So don't make a decision until you find at least one alternative way.
Creative activity
Another great way to develop creative thinking is to devote yourself to any kind of creativity. Start drawing, writing poetry or songs, learning to play a musical instrument. The goal is not to achieve success in this activity. The main thing is to gain new experience, a new perspective. When learning new things, the brain begins to work differently. After all, creativity is an interruption of thoughts, the usual sequence of words, actions, and the course of life.
Sports, travel
It is useful to travel and engage in new sports. In general, new places or changing situations significantly expand horizons and promote creativity. It's important to travel with your eyes and heart open so you don't miss anything new.
Development of associative thinking
Train your brain to connect together seemingly unrelated concepts. This will improve memory, train the brain to combine different concepts, because not every person is able to create such an association.
One of the effective ways to train associative thinking is to search for related words. For example: wheat → bread, greens → plants, etc.
Development of children's creativity
A strategic step in the development of children's creativity is to provide space and freedom. Babies and young children explore the world with all their senses. You can support their development even at the cost of dirty trousers and skinned knees.
Later, children begin to manipulate objects more meaningfully. Their game is more thoughtful. We are talking, for example, about building a sand castle with stones instead of windows and leaves as flags, a garage for cars from wooden cubes, a city from matchboxes. An adult should not be the leader when playing with a child. It's better to take the place of a second. You can offer your child a theme, according to which he himself will develop a game. You can come up with a history for a city: who lives in it and where, where they go to work, how many children they have
The older the child, the more abstract and non-standard the methods for developing creativity can be. You can try different games with words with schoolchildren: come up with a sentence in which the players alternately add more and more words, tell stories together (parent and child take turns inventing them).
An artistically or technically gifted child can actively help in arranging and decorating his room or the entire apartment.
What is critical thinking
Many people have difficulty reasoning logically and coherently. But it is very important to understand that reasoning skills, like any other, can and should be developed in yourself. Initially, to do this, it is worth understanding what critical thinking is in general and starting to put its techniques into practice.
If you turn to the book of Diana Halpern, an American psychologist and specialist in the field of psychology of thinking, you can see that critical thinking is a whole set of fundamental skills, such as the ability to evaluate, draw conclusions, interpret and analyze, observe, etc. In addition, critical thinking uses logic and is based on a number of criteria of intelligence: clarity, credibility, accuracy, depth, significance, perspective and fairness. Values and creative imagination are also components here, albeit to a lesser extent.
To put it somewhat differently and more simply, critical thinking can be characterized as a cognitive activity associated with the use of reason and intellectual abilities. When a person thinks critically, evaluates and analyzes received data, he uses attention, categorization, selection, judgment and other similar mental operations. The use of critical thinking places a number of demands on a person.
Analytical thinking
Analytical thinking is the process of thinking in which one proposition follows from another, and the end result is the correct conclusion. Therefore, this is the key to making the right decision. The analytical mind processes information, selects important points, considers correlations. People with developed analytical thinking are able to quickly assess a situation and respond accordingly.
Analytically minded people always try to figure out the essence of the problem. Their main assets are comparison and research. They can divide complex relationships into separate parts, which they then classify and prepare a strategy for the next action. In the same way, they determine the positions of their communication partners, opportunities to remove obstacles, and necessary measures.
People with developed analytical thinking are good planners, able to quickly process texts (especially those containing a large number of numbers). This ability is especially useful in areas where accurate information plays a leading role, theories are developed and new knowledge is organized (for example, science, systems management, medicine, information technology).
Employers value employees who can quickly and effectively investigate problems and find solutions. To be successful in the future, it is important to focus on these skills from the beginning (ideally during the interview).
Below are 4 steps that make up a general method for developing thinking in adults to maintain and improve analytical skills.
Preparation
Prepare your mind by emptying your head in the morning. Start tomorrow. Wake up 25 minutes earlier for 30 days. Go to your desk, grab a pen and paper and write. Do not modify what you have written. Everything that comes out of your head and onto paper should be a stream of consciousness. The goal is to fill out 3 sheets of paper (both sides) that will serve as a container for unproductive thoughts that can distract you throughout the day.
Think alone
Provide yourself with enough time for yourself, think about the pressing problem. Create an event in your journal and set aside time each day to reflect on it. During this time, you can sit at your desk, walk, or relax in your car with the windows down. Wherever you go, the mind should be focused on one problem that needs to be solved.
Find a useful source
Find a colleague who can help you analyze the situation. This is not an example of an analytical approach; rather, it is about the employee asking for help. Perhaps he will offer his own analytical approach. We often forget that colleagues are a valuable resource. When faced with obstacles at work and wanting to clarify an idea, schedule a meeting with colleagues to consider a different point of view.
Before asking for help, make sure you clearly understand what you need. Need some advice? Or questions aimed at clarifying the situation? Each of these approaches can help you generate a creative idea that you haven't previously considered.
Three Ways of Thinking That Shape Our Lives
Sociologists and psychologists (such as Stephen Gilligan, Joseph Campbell, Vladimir Propp and others) have come to the conclusion that a person takes one of three paths through life. These paths do not depend on time; they can be traced at all stages of human development.
These are the three ways of thinking by which people live.
First way of thinking "Village"
This is not about rural residents and generally not about where a person lives. The owner of this mindset can live in the most expensive cities in the world. But it doesn’t make him “happier.”
People from the "village" believe that:
- If you're 25 and still single, you're crazy.
- And if you are 30 and still have no children, then you are even more abnormal.
- If you live by your own rules and are not guided by social stereotypes, you are also abnormal.
- If you leave a job where you get a steady paycheck for the sake of some “idea,” then this is generally not normal.
Such people consider themselves normal in all respects, do normal things, like all normal people. Their beliefs are tightly linked to the “normalities” and rules accepted in society.
Attention! When a person chooses such thinking purposefully, it brings him happiness, makes him happy, and satisfies important values, then great! In fact, “Village” thinking is often accompanied by fears (fear of loss of stability, fear of changes in life, fear of social condemnation, criticism, rejection by people, etc.)
Such people, as they say, think narrowly. They measure life with stereotyped and biased indicators that are far from reality. They are not inclined to new options for action, to new approaches, and are unable to experience the diversity and fullness of life. They walk along a clearly marked track, not taking a step to the side. The minimum required level of comfort is met, that’s all.
The second way of thinking "Outcast"
These are rebels who do not want to live by the rules of the majority. You have probably observed such people in every team. They stop communicating with the majority, behave deliberately provocatively or differently from others. Their distinctive feature is that they definitely do not want to live like everyone else, and as public opinion imposes, but they themselves do not understand how exactly they want to live. They do not understand both the final destination of their destination and the intermediate ones, so they go to nowhere and end up there. “Outcasts” do not understand their values, so they cannot satisfy them.
More on the blog: 9 qualities of disciplined people that lead to success
People with an “outcast” mentality are prone to becoming alcoholics, drug addicts, and tramps. They consider themselves different, but do not know what exactly they are. They do not find a place for themselves in this world and live with constant questions without answers. However, the good news is that such a person can make a great leap from the very bottom to a completely new level. Nothing to lose, ready to take the risk. It changes your thinking and gives you a completely new life result.
The third way of thinking "The Hero's Journey"
Now comes the fun part! What distinguishes the way a hero thinks from the way an outcast thinks? This is a whole abyss, and at the same time it is just one step. This step is understanding the destination where he is going. The hero doesn't just know what he doesn't want. He is also well aware of what he needs.
Having chosen the “hero’s path,” a person, on the one hand, does not want to be guided by social stereotypes, and on the other, he understands by what rules he wants to live and lives. He is aware of his values, aspirations and is guided by them, lives with meaning. This is the life that few live, but the one that many would like to live.
We are making a big bet by choosing a new level of thinking and a new way of life. We need to be aware that only a wonderful life path with the mindset of a hero can lead us to it. This path is the most difficult and most interesting. There will be ups and downs, trials and pleasures. It is suitable for those who need more, for whom the current “kingdom” is not enough. If you want to follow this path, then answer this question: are you ready to accept and love difficulties in your life as well as conveniences, and losses as well as gains? Are you ready to draw conclusions from mistakes and correct them instead of criticizing yourself and being afraid of doing something wrong instead of right?
More on the blog: How to become a person who achieves their goals, one of the 8% of people...
We love victories, we strive for success, but we often forget that we achieve them thanks to our mistakes. How else can you learn to do better and better and get the desired result? You can't learn to ride a bike without falling over once. Let's get up and move on! Mistakes are not a cause for concern, but the best companions in improving your life. We need to learn to love mistakes and be grateful to those thanks to whom we make them. And it is thanks to them that we understand how to act more correctly, what we should not do, and choose successful behavioral strategies for ourselves that bring the desired result.
Difficulties are not warnings “don’t go there, go here, otherwise you’ll get snow on your head.” Some overcomings and subsequent new behavior options are a faithful companion in a happy and successful life.
The hero's path is the path for the chosen ones, for those who are not afraid and do not avoid, but confidently move towards realizing their dreams. For those who are ready not only to swim wherever the current takes them, but to choose the direction of movement themselves. For those who allow themselves to make mistakes on the path of life and know how to learn lessons. For those who build their own future. For those who live for a great purpose, helping others if necessary.
This is the life that gives FREEDOM and Life with meaning.
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Let's sum it up
Thinking is one of the cognitive processes. It's about working with information, ideas, concepts. It allows you to find connections and solve problems.
Mental functions are the formation of concepts, recognizing and finding relationships, reasoning, decision making, and creating something new. The result of thinking is new information (new knowledge). Therefore, the development of thinking in general or its individual types is an important step in achieving success, both in the personal and professional spheres.
