What is rational thinking and how to develop it in yourself

The concept of rationality

Before we talk about rational thinking, let's first find out what rationality means in general. The word “rationality” comes from the Latin term ratio, which translates as “reason.”

It is generally accepted that a person endowed with this quality has intelligence, prudence, logic, and practicality. He solves problems effectively and meaningfully, without giving in to emotions and feelings. A rational person can explain any situation from a logical point of view. He is only confident in what he can test and prove in practice.

Based on this knowledge, let's try to define rational thinking.

Rational thinking is a constructive thought process that is built on logical conclusions and is aimed at making decisions and achieving goals.

In simple words, we can say that this is a form of thinking based on logic. It is not subject to emotions. He is guided only by reason.

As a rule, this type of thought process is more typical for men. Although in the modern world there are many women who hold responsible positions, run their own businesses and often have excellent rational thinking.

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But if men rarely deviate from this type of thinking, then women can turn to their other sides: intuition, daydreaming. It is worth noting that it is this ability of the female mind that sometimes shows effectiveness in solving certain issues, since not everything can be solved with logic alone.

The structure of logical intellectual activity, as well as thinking in general, consists of such forms of rational knowledge as:

1. Concept.
2. Judgment.
3. Conclusion.

I explain these and other terms in detail in the article on types of thinking.

Pre-neurotic state. The role of attitudes

The danger of irrational perception and an unreasonable way of thinking in the development of deep and long-lasting neuroses. Negative attitudes and constant anxiety lead to a pre-neurotic state. When an individual's nervous system becomes tired of incomprehensible alarm signals, it experiences functional overload. But a person cannot do anything about his condition, since he is not aware of his negative and biased attitudes.

Rationality is more useful in this regard than irrationality. In psychology, this meaning is quite serious. Helping to make the transition to rational thinking is the main task of a psychoanalyst who works with such a patient.

Principles of rational thinking

Can you call yourself a rational person? Below I will give signs that will help you draw conclusions about your thinking.

So, thinking rationally is:

1. Think about the future more than the past. Rational thinkers care about progress and focus on their goals and objectives, rather than on events of long ago.
2. Note the pros and cons before making decisions. When you think about the consequences, you have to feel less worried.
3. Always ask the reasons first. A rational person will not just do things. He will first ask himself why he needs it.
4. Don't let your emotions take over your reason. Emotions can cloud your view of obvious things. When making important decisions, a rationalist will be guided by a sober assessment.
5. Make plans and follow them step by step. Every task, even the simplest one, requires a clear action plan. A rational person carefully outlines the chain of achieving his goals, defines methods, and sets deadlines. With this approach, solving problems and making progress becomes easier.
6. Be able to quickly find and learn new things. Rationality allows you to easily master any skill, just by devoting enough time, concentration and carefully understanding all the details. Such a person knows what methods can be used to obtain this or that information. He is not too lazy to delve into reference books and ask opinions from more experienced people.
7. Keep a diary. This helps you stay organized and prevents you from forgetting about things.
8. Adequately perceive and take into account other people's comments. There is no need to blindly trust the opinions of others. But in any opinion or criticism you can hear a healthy grain and use it for the benefit of your own goals.

Consequences

Sometimes it seems that rationalization has nothing wrong with it, because, let’s say, it helps to “save face” and get out of any situation with honor. However, everything is much more complicated. This method will not solve the problem. A person only disguises it and tries to protect himself from it. He tries to show that he is better than he really is, and this only complicates the situation.

Plus, with rationalization, labeling, simplification, and the construction of incorrect patterns of behavior occur. Again and again, a person acts according to pre-prepared patterns. As a result, his life becomes boring and gray. It is difficult to surprise an individual with anything. Yes, he doesn’t want this, because he loses interest in reality.

Historical example

In an everyday sense, rational thinking means the need to turn on a cool head, move away from emotional experiences and analyze what is happening calmly, looking at everything as if from the outside. This can be difficult to do. Especially in critical situations, when feelings go off scale and the brain refuses to think sensibly.

This problem has been recognized since ancient times. Let us recall, for example, Stoicism, an ancient philosophy that arose in Athens. Many people associate the word “stoic” with steadfastness and rock-like solidity. This teaching perfectly describes the saying from the book of thoughts of Marcus Aurelius and Seneca: “A Stoic is one who stands, even if everything around him collapses, and one who fulfills his duty to the end.”

But this quality of a Stoic is not some unique feature of personality or character. The ability not to lose your mind in the most difficult life situations can be cultivated and developed in yourself. I will give one more reflection of the great Roman emperor.

Independence and calmness before the game of chance. So that for a moment you don’t look at anything except your mind, and always be the same: in acute pain, or having lost a child, or in a long illness.

Marcus Aurelius.

The game of chance in this context is a philosophical attitude towards life. After all, everything that happens around us is nothing more than a chain of events, fate. And if we can’t control something, then why worry? If we can take control of ourselves and our attitude towards what is happening, wouldn’t the best solution be to maintain rational thinking and not give in to excessive emotions?

Of the many philosophical teachings, it is Stoicism that is closest to real everyday life. It helps you learn to make informed decisions even in difficult situations, which is the basis for rational thinking.

Irrationality in mathematics

In mathematics, expressions or equations can be irrational, but numbers are much more common. This is the name given to those that cannot be expressed using an ordinary fraction or decimal number.

The most famous and frequently used examples of irrational numbers in mathematics include:

• Pi number – 3.14159265…;
• number e – 2.7182818284...;
• root of two – 1.41421356…;
• root of three – 1.73205080….

It is known that the concept of irrational numbers originated in the seventh century BC, in India. However, at that time, the existence of numbers that cannot be expressed was perceived only as a theory that did not have clear evidence.

The existence of an irrational number was first proven around 470 BC by the ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician and theorist Hippasus of Metapontus. It is not known exactly which number he proved to be irrational. There is an assumption that this was the so-called golden ratio.

Thinking Errors

Before we get to the mistakes, as a preface, I would like to mention the fan fiction “Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality”. Fanfiction is amateur writing based on famous literary works. Since 2010 and for 5 years, American artificial intelligence specialist Eliezer Yudkowsky published fan fiction based on the Harry Potter series of novels on his blog.

But what does the book wizard and the topic of our article today have to do with it? Of interest to us is how the hero of Potter's alternate reality work identifies errors in thinking using his truly canonical rational thought process.

So, now about the errors. Let's find out what factors prevent us from thinking logically:

1. Attribution error. This is when a person explains the actions and behavior of other people by their personal characteristics (character), and their personal actions by external circumstances. If we behave badly, we see the reason in fatigue, the chain of unpleasant events that preceded it, etc. Why don’t we make such concessions to other people? The thing is that we do not see what events provoked this or that behavior of another person, and it is much easier for our brain to label and act according to a stereotype. The brain always chooses the thought that requires the least amount of energy.
2. Planning error. It says that a person most often underestimates the time it will take to solve a problem. For example, when you are asked how long a project will be ready, you are more likely to give less time than it actually takes. There are several reasons. First, a person tends to focus on the positive scenario rather than thinking about potential obstacles. Secondly, he is prone to wishful thinking. And third, people may forget about the time they have already spent on a task in the past.
3. Egocentric distortion. It is expressed in the fact that a person overestimates his point of view when looking at the events of his life or trying to put himself in the place of other people. Let me explain with an example. You did something that embarrassed you and you think that those around you will remember it for many years to come. In fact, only you will think about it, suffering and feeling shame, and other people only care about themselves, because everyone is the center of their world for themselves.
4. Bystander effect. It occurs during any emergency. Studies have shown that you are more likely to receive outside help in an accident if there is one witness nearby than with three, five, or even a whole crowd. When a person becomes not the only witness, he always hopes that someone else will help the victim. And a single eyewitness understands that only he can take on this role.
5. Self-deception. This is an attempt to get rid of cognitive dissonance, when a person adjusts reality to his vision of the world, i.e., to personal beliefs and ideas. Or, for example, he completely denies what he does not like or does not correspond to his opinion, refusing to test it in practice.

This is a relatively short list. We covered the topic of thinking errors in more detail in our other article.

Typology

Even if you understand a little about how irrational thoughts are born in your head, you can immediately understand that they have no place there. Well, unless, of course, you have the same supernatural abilities as the great Bulgarian fortuneteller Vanga.

First, look among your thoughts for those that fall under the following descriptions:

• appear spontaneously;
• interfere with reasonable decisions;
• reduce labor productivity;
• reduce self-esteem;
• cause anxiety and irritability;
• disrupt harmony with the outside world;
• cause fear;
• contribute to the development of suspicion and lead to loneliness;
• create problems both in personal and professional life;
• cause dependence on bad habits;
• they single out “idols” whose calls seem to be the only true laws of life.

It is people with irrational thinking, inclined to believe in miracles, who most often find themselves at the mercy of banned sects. They themselves do not notice how, under the influence of the “charms” of their leaders, they lose loved ones, jobs, and well-being. Yesterday's successful businessman literally overnight becomes flexible material in the hands of skilled “puppeteers.” The strings they pull seem magical. Unfortunately, this is far from the case.

What is irrational thinking

Irrationalism comes from the Latin irrationalis and is translated as “unconscious, unreasonable.” Irrational thinking is the exact opposite of rational thinking.

In the broadest sense of the word, irrationalism means denial or limitation of the role of reason in understanding the world. If rational thinking is based on logic, then its antipode is based on feelings, intuition, emotions, faith, instincts.

To demonstrate examples of irrational thinking, I will give three main categories:

1. Exaggeration. This is when we think something like: “They definitely didn’t like me,” “He noticed that I have low self-esteem,” etc.
2. Overgeneralization. For example: “They didn’t pass this exam, which means I won’t be able to cope,” “Last time I forgot the words of the report, which means it will be the same this time,” etc.
3. Mind reading. For example: “I know what you think about me” or “She thinks I’m rude,” etc.

All these thoughts are not based on any facts. This is purely human perception or, if you like, intuition.

2) Control your environment or it will control you

Of course, we cannot influence external conditions everywhere, but this is available to us more often than we used to think.
If you get rid of absent-mindedness and start a diary, you will see that the situation has become more favorable for productivity.

Dan:

One of the biggest lessons from sociology of the last 40 years is that environment matters. If you go to a buffet and it's set up one way, you'll end up eating the same dishes. And if it is organized differently, you will try completely different dishes. It seems to us that we make our own decisions, but external conditions have a huge influence on us. Therefore, we must think about how to change them.

What do the most effective programmers have in common, according to research?
Not experience, not salary and not time spent on the project. Their employers have created a distraction-free work environment. From the book "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Shut Up":

…leaders generally work for companies that provide their employees with maximum privacy, personal space, control over the physical environment, and protection from interference.

Research shows that absent-mindedness makes us stupid.
Your environment should make the right things easy to do and complicate the unnecessary things.

What happened when Google put M&Ms in containers instead of leaving them in open containers? Over the month, their consumption decreased by 3 million pieces.

Dan:

Google recently conducted an experiment. Usually M&M's in their New York office are in baskets. They poured them into bowls with lids. Opening the containers was not difficult, but it reduced M&M's consumption in the New York office by 3 million per month.

So, you need to manage your environment. How to keep track of your diary?

How to learn to think rationally

The formation of the foundations of rational thinking in a child is completed around the age of 12. Further, constant targeted training is required.

There are several ways to develop a logical form of thinking:

1. Solve as many intellectual problems and puzzles as possible.
2. Evaluate everything you read from a critical point of view. There are a lot of irrational posts and articles on the Internet with a bunch of blunders and errors. Study what you read carefully. Over time, you will be able to figure out various counter-intuitive things easily and quickly.
3. Practice writing essays. You can choose a literary work or news event as a topic. Express your thoughts in detail, provide facts, justify your conclusions and express your position.
4. Study materials on logic. Both simple university textbooks and more complex works may be suitable.
5. Chat on different topics. It’s good if among your friends or acquaintances there are those who can support any discussion, discuss what they’ve read, understand current world news, etc.
6. If you are faced with any task, write down in detail on paper point by point all the nuances, possible solutions, ideas, snags, notes and everything that comes to mind. This kind of brainstorming will help you study the situation in detail and come up with new solutions.
7. Always find answers to your questions. Did you remember something and became interested in learning about it? Google it and satisfy your curiosity.
8. Before making any decision, ask yourself why you think this way and whether this is really your thought and not imposed by someone else.
9. Write down all your strange or negative thoughts and try to analyze them from a critical point of view.

If you are interested, I recommend reading our article about what analytical thinking is and how to develop it.

Irrationality in psychology

“Irrational” is, as already said, something unknowable by the human mind, inaccessible to it, lying beyond its limits. In psychology, this adjective is used to describe functions of the human psyche that lie beyond the mind, such as, for example, intuition.

It is impossible to rationally, logically and understandably explain why a person feels the approach of danger, anxiety or even fear in advance, why he takes an umbrella with him in sunny weather or dresses warmly on a hot summer day, anticipating a thunderstorm that is ready to break out, about which there was not a word in the weather reports. This is why intuition is irrational. No one knows exactly how it works, where it comes from, why some people have it better than others. It is only known that, due to some of its own laws and principles, it still works properly: a person with an umbrella, at which friends walking lightly laugh at, gets caught in the rain, and warmly dressed people do not catch a cold when the weather suddenly turns bad.

Not only intuition, but also ordinary sensations (not physical, but psychological) can be considered irrational. A person cannot always explain to himself why he is happy or angry, why sometimes in the morning he feels cheerful and ready for new achievements, and on other days he collapses from fatigue and scolds everything and everyone that stands on him. That is, his feelings fall under the definition of “irrational” - this is the same as “incomprehensible”, “illogical”, “inexplicable”.

Advantages and disadvantages

Undoubtedly, rational thinking has a number of advantages. In particular:

• allows you to adequately respond to current events and not regret what you did or said in the heat of the moment;
• helps you make informed decisions without unnecessary emotions, which in certain situations simply get in the way;
• allows you to draw conclusions based on real facts, and not on personal speculation and intuition.

However, rationality also has its drawbacks. Mainly it is a low level of feeling. People with a predominant logical type of thinking may have difficulty expressing emotions and feelings, because they perceive the surrounding reality from the position of “not proven - does not exist.”

But with this approach, we must not forget that rationality is not the only way to understand the world. It is no coincidence that we are endowed with a wide range of different feelings and sensations that help solve life issues in which logic may be powerless. All artists, poets, composers have irrational thinking, which helps them create, fantasize, and reproduce images from their heads.

We can say that rational and irrational types of thinking are two sides of the same coin. For a harmonious perception of the world and full success, you need to have skills of both types.

Installations from childhood. List

We acquire most of our irrational attitudes in childhood. Since the child’s mind is not yet capable of critical thinking, he perceives all judgments of adults as pure truth. As an adult, every person must reconsider their views and understand which beliefs are personal and which are inspired by their parents and educators. Those attitudes that were useful in childhood and adolescence, but are harmful in adulthood, must be removed. They are also irrational. This means that every attitude that we can become aware of must be subjected to critical analysis.

Here is a list of popular beliefs that bring suffering to an individual:

• should, but could not;
• should have done better;
• they (he) owe me;
• if I fail, there will be a disaster;
• I'm a failure in life;
• nobody needs me.
• and etc.

All these mentalities have no logical basis. They are simply useless and need to be “removed” from the mind, like virus programs from a computer.

Books on the topic of rational thinking

If you want to develop rationality and logic, one article on the topic and a few exercises may not be enough. For greater understanding, I recommend a selection of books:

1. David Rock "Brain" Instructions for use. How to use your capabilities to the maximum and without overload” (electronic version on liters, paper version on Labyrinth).
2. Keith Stanovich “Rational Thinking. What aptitude tests don’t measure” (Labyrinth).
3. Eliezer Yudkowsky “Harry Potter and the Methods of Rational Thinking” (you can purchase a paper version of the book to order through the Reglet copy center website or through the official community on VKontakte).
4. Richard Nisbett “Brain Accelerators” (liters).
5. Joseph O'Connor, Ian McDermott “The Art of Systems Thinking. Necessary knowledge about systems and a creative approach to problem solving” (LitRes).
6. Ryuta Kawashima “Japanese system for the development of intelligence and memory” (Labyrinth).
7. Barbara Oakley “Think like a mathematician. How to solve any problems faster and more efficiently” (liters).

You can find even more books about thinking on the blog iklife.ru.

The most effective means of self-knowledge

• Study psychology, it contributes to human self-knowledge. This way you can be aware of current events and analyze your own and others’ behavior. A psychological approach will help to adequately evaluate all actions.
• Do a self-report. Use a blog or personal diary to get acquainted with information on self-development. Keep records so you can analyze internal changes.
• Literature, theater, cinema. Develop spiritually through regular reading and attending performances. Try on the roles of characters, think about their actions, thereby assessing your capabilities.
• Take psychology tests periodically. This will help you assess the level of your self-development and spiritual growth.
• Use the services of a psychologist. Don’t be shy, such consultations will help identify internal problems. An outside specialist can offer a better solution than you yourself.
• Go to social and psychological events. With the help of such practices and trainings, the development of a person’s self-knowledge will actively grow.

It is difficult to overestimate the role of self-knowledge in a person’s life. We all search for the meaning of life throughout our lives. A person improves every day, learns new things, experiences failures and defeats - this is the basis of our life path. If you take the path of self-knowledge, this will contribute to the fact that one day you will understand the main goal of human essence - to be happy.

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