How to change your thinking to become wiser

There are two types of thinking: ambivalent and black and white.

People with black-and-white thinking know exactly what is good and what is bad. They quickly make their choice, they tend to be hard decisions that are not re-mulling. Therefore, the black-and-white thinking makes the world easier.

Ambivalent (gray) thinking - is the ability to see a situation from several sides. A man who knows how to think is ambivalent, may take your opponent's position and look at the problem from his perspective. Despite the fact that the ambivalent mindset makes us less decisiveIt is very useful. After all, only those who learn to go into the "gray zone", will be smarter and wiser.

Gray thinking can be learned. Because each of us has the skills initially ambivalent thinking when I was small.

Children do so

They love to torture their parents questions. The chain of "why" can be infinite.

- Why does a dog stuck out her tongue and breathing?

- She's hot.

- Why? I'm hot, but I did not put out his tongue.

- Yes, but dogs have fur, and she does not sweat.

- Why do dogs have fur?

- To her warm.

- And my hair then why not?

- All right, enough!

Parents certainly know that dialogue: these conversations with children occur frequently. For a child the world is not black and white, and he tries to ease all over. More so much unknown. There are no foundations, no unambiguous truths. Alignment is not yet formed.

As the world becomes black and white

When we get older, our views are becoming tougher. Imposed on us from outside certain limits. For example, students are asked to take the examination consisting of multiple-choice questions. This leads us to think in black and white. The correct answer is always the A, B, C or D, or does not happen.

The main symptom of this world - it is thinking in certain categories:

• War - it's bad. War - it was good.
• Capitalism - it's bad. Capitalism - it's good.
• Higher education is necessary. Higher education - a waste of time.

Growing up, we think of slogans. They replace our understanding of the problem, the very process of thinking. After all, in order to think, need to strain. And when it is clear that there is black and what is white, it is not necessary to think.

Is it bad to have a firm conviction?

No, not bad. But the real world is not black and white. It is very difficult to find a question that you could give the only correct answer. Our life - a gray area.

Take this very difficult: in schools and universities we instill confidence in the fact that there are right and wrong answers. It was only when faced with the reality, we begin to suspect that the world is not so simple.

Clear answers, slogans are no longer suitable. If you know the story well, you can not say unequivocally that the war - it's bad. Most likely, you say now: "War - this is bad, but at some stage of development of the state it was needed, so it can be considered a complex and ambiguous phenomenon."

From this answer is clear: you do not tend to make hasty conclusions. Ambivalent thinking - is a double edged sword. On the one hand, you can spend ages choosing between yogurt and fermented baked milk. On the other hand, you have the ability to see the world from different points of view and judge more wisely.

How to learn ambivalent thinking

Learn to think ambivalent quite difficult, especially if you are prone to radical judgment. But it will help to see the situation from all sides and not jump to conclusions. Therefore, learn to gray thinking it is worth, and that's how it can be done.

1. Cease to judge the world strictly

If it is difficult not to think in categories A and B, just do not say these thoughts aloud. Try as little as possible to share things on the black and white, good and bad. Feel like the world does not fit into these categories.

2. Think about the event or phenomenon in the long term

Think of phenomena, events and concepts in terms of time. Identify their importance, taking into account the good and the bad.

3. Accept the fact that you're not always right

Take the point of view of the enemy. Try to believe that he knows the truth, and you - no.

4. Teach yourself to the fact that the truth is ambiguous

Look at the problem from all sides. Take a different view. Think about how looks at the world of childAnd try to make at least a step in the direction of the ambivalent thinking.