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- BBC News World
“Those who cannot change their minds can not change anything,” said George Bernard Shaw, an Irish playwright, critic and argumentator.
Change is not only essential, it is inevitable, because life is not static or immutable, but rather fluid.
Therefore, it is convenient to have an elastic mind, or call experts Cognitive flexibility, The ability to adapt our behaviors, thoughts and feelings to circumstances.
We need some methods in a dramatic and urgent way, such as the period we have been living in since the beginning of 2020; In the face of the global epidemic, governments, companies, institutions and the public have been forced to make necessary and constructive adaptations. To face an uncertain and fast growing situation.
The responses to the infection, from denial and maintenance of the condition to quick and decisive action to reduce the spread of the virus, provided a life example of why this relapse of the mind is important.
But long before Govid appeared in our lives, Its importance was widely recognized– Various development and longevity research has shown that flexibility mitigates the effects of academic achievement, job success, successful transition to old age and even cognitive decline in old age.
A test
It means that having a resilient mind is worth everything. But how do you know if you have?
“When your brain can not predict something, or when you have to integrate new information that you do not predict, your brain can update itself – that is what we call learning – or it can ignore the data of the senses and assert itself with prediction,” he said. Neuroscientist and psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett explained to BBC Ideas.
“There is a well-known demonstration of flexibility called the Stroop Test,” said psychologist Volker Patent.
In it, they show you Names of colors written with uncoordinated inks…
… and you have to press colored buttons similar to what that word tells you, not its appearance.
“The idea behind it is that to do that you have to change different information in your mind. In simple words, what happens is that when you scan the color of the word, the automated processes that read the word interfere with the ability to represent the color aloud. It is very difficult for a person to figure it out, and in general they are cognitively flexible“.
Being psychologically flexible allows you to make better use of the resources you have to deal with stress.
Those who suffer from psychological flexibility tend to use it Very narrow range of your resources Can be modified, the patent explains.
“The idea of psychological flexibility is to get people out of a state that psychologists call exhaustion, in which they can reach their full potential.
“What prevents them from changing their lives from a low level of satisfaction to a high level of satisfaction is that they have to be flexible in the way they approach the problem they are facing.”
For Dr. Feltman Barrett, there is a much deeper lesson.
“You can take more control of your environment. You are not the only passive recipient that the world gives you“.
One, two and …
The idea should be active: spend time developing experiences and searching for new information. “They are opportunities to expose yourself to predictive errors so that your brain can solve problems more flexibly in the future.”
“Exposing yourself to things you don’t know, maybe even comments you don’t like can make you feel bad right now, but it can also be a good investment for your well-being,” says the expert.
If you do not know where to start, do not worry: here is the tribute to the physicist Leonard Malodino, author of “Ela: Flexible Thinking in a Changeable World”.Elastic: Flexible thinking in a constantly changing world).
1. Choose an idea that you do not believe
I call this the ‘idea of the day’.
I don’t want to pretend. I’m trying to imagine someone who thinks differently than you, but who you respect, can accept this idea and try to make sense of it to you.
2. Think about your mistakes
We often try to forget when we make a mistake.
Well, in this tutorial you are going to think about when you made a mistake. Remember a time when you made a mistake – the more important the wrong, the better – focus on it.
Realize it You are not always right.
An obstacle to rethinking is our tendency to always think we are right and to continue in the same direction.
This exercise will help you get rid of it.
3. Try new foods
Choose a restaurant at random or pick something you don’t usually go to and order something you don’t usually order.
Make sure this is not a very popular food Less popular.
Or buy items you haven’t tried and learn how to cook them.
Studies show that stretching in such a simple way will enhance your creativity and imagination.
Your parents taught you not to talk to strangers.
Well, your fourth exercise is to disobey them.
In fact, talk to people As different from you as possible, People who believe in a different way, or random people and try to understand how they think.
The more you express yourself in the way others think, the more your own thinking will be.
5. and Arte
I’m not referring to a rembrandt, which means weird art even if you don’t like it.
Check out an exhibition that exposes you to different art than the genre you normally see (you can do it online). It helps to think differently.
Research shows that if you do exercises like these five, your mind will be more flexible, it will be easier for you to adapt to change, and you may be the one to change everything.
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