Binary thinking limits clarity and decision-making. Learn how to move beyond black-and-white thinking and develop balanced, flexible, and clear thinking skills.
Nowadays, binary thinking is ubiquitous. You are either liberal or conservative, pro-life or pro-choice. The list is endless, ranging from team sports to societal issues, and it's getting out of hand. After all, the question of whether to use a mask or get a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 is still up for debate.
All of this ultimately stems from the human propensity to think in binary terms. Numerous problems have arisen as a result of its infiltration into our culture.
By definition, binary thinking is the belief that there are two sides and that you can only choose one. This method of thinking, often referred to as dichotomous thinking, makes it easier for us to understand complicated concepts and circumstances. The gray area that lies in the middle of these complicated problems is frequently overlooked.
We can feel more certain when we consider in binary terms. Particularly in uncertain times like the ones we are currently in, people tend to think in binary terms, which is understandable given how frightening and anxiety-inducing the ambiguity of complexity can be.
Categories "move us toward certainty, but away from clarity," according to Bob Johansen.
The intricacy of the world can be debilitating, particularly when considering the worldwide pandemic, racial turmoil, and my family's survival in the future. Nobody is completely knowledgeable about, well, everything. As a result, our brains oversimplify things into broad categories in order to feel better, which leads to binary thinking.
The inaccuracy of binary thinking is the issue. There are gray areas in every topic. Thinking on this or that, them or us, him or her, may make us feel better, but that isn't how the world operates.
We are forced to make assumptions when we think in binary terms. As Johansen states, "You just assume without question that new experiences will fit into your old boxes, buckets, labels, generalizations, and stereotypes—being stuck in categorical thought actually doesn't involve much thinking at all."
Conflict and disengagement are other consequences of binary thinking. We aren't being interested about people or attempting to look into subtleties that could strengthen our bonds when we assume things about them by classifying them into predetermined notions. You already know exactly who someone is, so why even try to get to know them?
It's a risky path since it results in racist comments and flimsy interpersonal relationships. That or thinking negatively.
Therefore, how can we cease thinking in binary terms?
We must travel and try new things if we are to ever overcome the negative habit of binary thinking. Since life is messy and complex, we at least put ourselves in a position to come across fresh viewpoints and ideas when we go out and live.
Enroll in a course, pick up a language, discover a new pastime, go on a trip, or simply try something different. Changing up our daily encounters is one way to escape the old habit of binary thinking.
Meeting new folks is no different. You are most likely trapped in a feedback cycle if everyone in your social media feed shares your appearance and viewpoint. Everyone agrees with you in this echo chamber you've built, so you don't feel pushed or compelled to consider particular viewpoints.
Meet new individuals from diverse origins, races, faiths, and cultures to break free from binary thinking. However, simply meeting them is insufficient. We must also be inquisitive and receptive to their viewpoints.
It's crucial to approach every encounter with genuine curiosity and to ask lots of questions, even if you disagree with someone.
When I meet new individuals, I enjoy playing a game called "Curious Detective." I imagine that my duty is to learn as much as I can about them, rather than talking about myself. Either that or I'll play a game called "Hard-hitting Reporter," in which I act like a reporter attempting to understand this person's motivations. This encourages me to be genuinely interested in other people rather than using discussions as a chance to brag about myself.
There is another way to look at this: the more you show interest in someone else, the more they will show interest in you. This makes it possible for a relationship to grow into something that has the potential to change your perspective.
Slowing down is also crucial. Binary thinking is frequently evident in our first instinctive responses. Before gathering all the facts required to genuinely obtain insight, we frequently make fast decisions and assumptions.
Slowing down your reactions is the first step in breaking binary thinking. Before drawing conclusions, take a moment to think things through. If you find yourself subconsciously classifying things into broad groups, stop yourself, catch yourself, and then try to see the bigger picture.
And pay attention. Keep your thoughts open rather than attempting to fit new knowledge into the constrained categories you currently have. Allow new knowledge to be complex and perplexing rather than neatly falling into the binary categories you are accustomed to.
"Perspective taking is listening to the truth as other people experience it and acknowledging it as the truth," according to Brene Brown. This implies that rather than pressuring them to conform to your preconceived notions, you should listen for the truth in their experiences while you're meeting new people and trying new things.
When we accept that someone's truth may differ from ours, it doesn't necessarily imply it isn't true, we let gray areas back into our life.
This fosters empathy. "Shame and judgment are incompatible with empathy," explains Brown. Understanding is necessary to avoid passing judgment. We frequently criticize the areas in which we are most susceptible to feeling ashamed of ourselves. Real empathy arises from respecting other people's experiences and realities and remaining receptive to different viewpoints, rather than closing down because we feel guilty or judged.
It's a good thing that people don't think and feel the same.
The Dunning-Kruger Effect occurs when you are overconfident in your knowledge of a subject because you know very little about it [3]. People lack confidence in their knowledge when they are ignorant about a subject. But as soon as they get even a small amount of knowledge, their confidence surges.
People then lose confidence when they get more knowledge since they discover that it's more complicated than they first thought. A person's confidence eventually begins to progressively rise after they begin to become an expert in a profession.
Avoiding binary thinking requires an understanding of the Dunning-Kruger Effect. We have access to the fundamentals of every subject thanks to our smartphones. This sets us up to feel overconfident in our comprehension of far too many things.
Before you gloat about how much of an expert you are, maintain your humility and learn more. Additionally, binary thinking should serve as a warning sign that you are not truly an expert in the topic but rather are merely making assumptions and generalizations.
Lastly, we must constantly remind ourselves that the world is complicated and that we don't know nearly as much as we sometimes believe if we wish to stop thinking in binary terms. Even though this could make you anxious, it's a crucial insight to accept if you want to advance intellectually.
Although binary thinking is helpful for human survival, it may also be detrimental because it restricts our experiences. We definitely wouldn't live in such a disjointed and polarizing society if more individuals prepared themselves for full-spectrum thinking. This is because more people would be interested in each other's many viewpoints rather than categorizing one another. Developing full-spectrum thinking will help you see additional opportunities.
| [1] | ^ | Bob Johansen: Full-Spectrum Thinking |
| [2] | ^ | Brene Brown: Daring Greatly |
| [3] | ^ | American Psychological Association: Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing one’s own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessments |
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