Intro to Psych | 121
How we think 💡⚡
> intro to psych | free will
hot mind | the other you
How many times a day do you do something "without thinking about it"?
This "hot" mode of thinking is also known as System 1, or the unconscious mind. It handles faster, everyday decisions.
But it sacrifices accuracy for speed. As a result, it's highly prone to error.
Our non-conscious mind, as it's also sometimes called, is a pool of urges, feelings, thoughts, and memories that is not easy to consciously access. Can you control having a crush on someone?
Other names for the hot mind include automatic, subconscious, involuntary, uncontrolled, impulsive, implicit, and effortless.
how it's used | Reading text on a billboard or hopping over a puddle.
why it matters | Corporate brands rely on this thinking mode to make their messages cognitively stickier. One tactic, for example, is to make bold claims feel truthful through repeated messages.
cold mind | the aware you
The "cold" thinking mode demands mental exertion, focus, and attention. It's also known as System 2.
Instead of firing off automatically like System 1, these mental actions need our conscious effort to be carried out. System 2 is used for critical thinking and problem solving.
It includes conscious beliefs and attitudes about other people that we know are present in our thinking. Other names for this thinking mode include conscious, controlled, voluntary, deliberate, reflective, or explicit.
how it's used | Parking in a tight space or looking for a friend in a crowd.
why it matters | "System 2 is activated when an event is detected that violates the model of the world that System 1 maintains," the late psychologist Daniel Kahneman said.
- next time "I should just delete his number and show him."
- listening Witch "Seer"
Terror is an emotion ✈️
> intro to psych | terms to know
fallacy | Reasoning that leads to a conclusion where there’s no evidence to support it. Fallacies often at first seem plausible.
- example "It rained a lot this time last year, so no doubt it will rain today."
illusion | Misperception of the factual world. We don’t experience the world as it is. We experience it as our minds think it is.
- example "The trees at night are scary monsters with crooked branches for arms."
delusion | Firm belief in something that's not true. Relies on a distorted interpretation of reality. Delusional jealousy and conspiracy theories fall under this definition.
- example "I believe the U.S. government secretly carried out the Sept. 11 hijackings."
thinking error | Cognitive distortions that can skew one's perception of reality. An example would be interpreting mild misfortune as evidence of a coming cataclysm.
- example "He hasn't called after our date two nights ago. I should just delete his number from my phone."
cognitive bias | Systematic error in thinking that quietly influences our judgments and decisions largely without our conscious awareness. Our minds are wired to take shortcuts for tackling decisions quickly. But cognitive biases and errors can creep in and distort our perception of reality.
- example You only click on search results that tell you the vacation you want is affordable.
heuristics | Simplifications or mental shortcuts that enable people to make fast decisions. Accuracy is sacrificed for speed. Heuristics can lure us away from our own desired outcomes.
- example Making decisions based on how easy it is to bring something familiar to mind.
- next time "We want to feel part of what feels popular."
- listening Nina Simone "Strange Fruit"
Biases are real 🧠𝚿
> intro to psych | biases and errors
Here are examples of cognitive biases and errors uncovered by scientists that can lead to decisions we regret. —G.W. Schulz
cashless effect | We’re likelier to follow through with a purchase when not using physical cash.
authority bias | We quickly conform to and accept the opinions of people in positions of authority often without critical evaluation.
bandwagon effect | We mimic and adopt certain behaviors and beliefs to feel included. We want to feel part of what feels popular.
paradox of choice | More choice is not necessarily better when we're buying. A menu too busy with options will cause us to ruminate over whether we made the right choice.
cognitive dissonance | We ignore or explain away conflicting information when faced with tough decisions.
illusory-truth effect | Human beings are likelier to believe false information if we hear it repeated it over and over. This can happen even if we initially know it's false.
commitment bias | If we've publicly taken a strong position on something in the past, it becomes difficult to change even when it’s better for us.
confirmation bias | We cherry-pick evidence from the world around us to support beliefs we already hold. We don’t like considering new ideas.
framing effect | How options are presented to us affects how we make decisions. Labeling a product as 90% fat-free is more effective than labeling it 10% fat.
priming effect | What we hear, watch, and see can prime us to make decisions and behave in certain ways. This is a familiar exploit used by political campaigns.
- next time Chapter end
- listening Pink Fuzz “Enough”
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