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Monday, December 18, 2017

Cognitive Science and Mindfulness and a Way Forward

Sometimes it all does kind of work out. I have been reading in psychology and cognitive science for a few years now. I got started on it all by reading about economics - Behavioral Economics in particular. There are some posts in this blog along those lines:

The problem with much of this was that it led me to despair. We are barely rational creatures, and there does not appear to be much we can do to improve our performance in that regard. We are born conservative or progressive, team oriented, tribal, loving hierarchical systems and power - and that is how we will remain. 

There Is Hope
Coming down to today, when I stumbled on this article, which struck me JUST RIGHT - thank you very much. It is all about how our brain really works, and what we might actually do to improve it!  If the above makes any sense to you at all, you should like this one too. I think this field of neuroscience is actually getting to the point where we might be able to do something about our crazy way of thinking and making decisions.
https://www.bakadesuyo.com/2017/10/more-mindful/

Mindfulness it is. To entice you to read this, here is his summary, as stated at the end of the piece.

Sum Up
Here’s what you and you and you need to know about how to be more mindful:
  • There are many yous: Like apps on a smartphone, different systems in your brain with different goals can take control at different times, which is why you can behave so inconsistently.
  • Feelings are what give a module control: You get worked up by what your buddy said and suddenly your brain is hijacked by “Angry Birds” instead of “Words With Friends.”
  • Meditation can prevent hijacking: Over time, meditation can rewire your brain to be less impulsively reactive and allow you to thoughtfully respond to your feelings.
  • Mini-meditations help in the moment: By focusing on your breath during a tense moment you can get some of the long term effects of meditation right when you need them.
  • Less reactivity means fewer hijacks which leads to better decisions and more alignment between thought and action. Over time, that leads to wisdom.
I am fully persuaded that we will eventually introduce "mindfulness" or "meditation" training in kindergarten or preschool, much as we use modern psychology teaching methods today, as opposed rote copying and repeating. It may take a while, but it will make a profound difference. We may actually have an informed populace who make half way decent political and economic decisions. At the very least, I hold on to that hope.

Let me know what you think. Remember, we are all in this together, and I'm counting on YOU! Thank you, Red Green.