How Does Thinking Work?
You are less involved in the process than you might *think*
Why is it so hard for people to change their mind? Why is it seemingly impossible to teach an old human new facts?
We think we’re in charge of our thinking. But, as it turns out, when we interact with the world our subconscious brain does most of the work for us. Of course we can sit in a room and think thoughts. I’m not denying that we can think. But our brains prefer to avoid heavy-duty thinking whenever they can.
When you’re talking to somebody — whether it’s an everyday conversation or a TED talk — your message doesn’t crash down on the listener’s brain like a big bag of flour. No matter how powerful your mic-drop is.
There are countless subconscious microfilters in the listener’s mind sifting that message through a fine-grain sieve, so their conscious mind only feels a gentle sprinkle.
As a result of these mental shortcuts, the message you intend to deliver is very different than the message they end up interpreting.
And the same is true whenever somebody is talking to you.
