A Serious Thinking Problem You Didn’t Even Know You Had
And How Monkeys Can Solve Certain Problems Better Than Us Because of This
It might’ve started for you around twelve years old when the math became harder. Teachers made you show your work and that if you didn’t do it most efficiently, you were wrong.
To get good grades, you had to start practicing what psychologists call cognitive rigidity - and oh, has it cost you.
The opposite of cognitive rigidity is cognitive flexibility, coveted for its ability to
help you solve problems easier
have more resilience to adverse life events
increase your creativity
better the quality of the tail end of your life
What is cognitive flexibility exactly? The ability to modify your thinking and behavior based on changing expectations and demands in your environment.
This study was done with humans, capuchin, and rhesus monkeys, where each had to select three icons in sequence. Each group was forced to use a rule for the first 96 attempts and then allowed to do the next 96 attempts using a shortcut - to select the final icon in the sequence. The monkeys resorted to the shortcut immediately, while the humans took a while to catch one proving that in this one experiment, at least, monkeys were more cognitively flexible than humans.
One theory suggests it’s because we tend to create “learned rules” to help us make choices since we face many daily decisions. The cost to this is cognitive rigidity - where we have trouble thinking outside the box we just built around ourselves.
How often do you order the same few meals from the same restaurants? Or can you only consider the possibility that you did something wrong that caused someone to quit talking to you?
We are creatures of habit, but sometimes that habit limits our ability to flourish. The good news is that you can increase your cognitive flexibility, regardless of age or background.
Here are some strategies:
Practice spontaneity. I journal in the morning with the sunrise. My son decides to go swimming while I’m out there. I write down in my journal that I should swim more. Then I pause. What better time than now? I jump in with him. Where are you too rigid? Where do you use “should” too much? Those are the clues beginning you to switch it up.
“What else may be true?”. Bonus points if it’s contradictive. Do consumers only want short-form content these days? While Tik Tok is now the most trafficked platform on the internet, I’m making more money than ever with long-form webinars. Both can be true—context matters. Realize there are many ways to solve a problem. The first step is bringing more consciousness to it.
Practice labeling others’ emotions. My friend Chris Voss, best-selling author of the negotiation classic Never Split the Difference, used this during hostage situations. “You seem angry” or “you doubt me” or whatever. Trying to get a read on how others feel forces you to consider their viewpoint. It also is excellent for communication. If you’re wrong with the label, they’ll be eager to correct you, which allows you to understand them better.
Use structured thinking. If you couldn’t use Google, how would you solve this: How many US adults are going to the bathroom at 11 AM pacific time? When you’re done with that, try on “how much Chinese takeout did lawyers order last Monday night.” Less important is the correct answer, and more important is the creativity with which you try to reason it.
Mindfulness. I’m a broken record with this, I admit - but that’s because it’s so damn helpful. Mindfulness switches your cognition from lack (I must secure resources for my survival!) to have (notice your breath). If you have trouble switching out negative thinking patterns or are feeling stressed out, mindfulness gives you the space to think about your thinking.
Ultra-successful and rich fall along the same standard distribution curb of intelligence as the rest of us. But what an IQ test can’t capture is cognitive flexibility. Studies show that those with higher cognitive flexibility perform better in life and at work. IQ is mainly biological - you’re born with it, and it’s hard to change. Cognitive flexibility, on the other hand? We can level that up several times and reap massive benefits.