Can we change the way we think? Are our brains hardwired to behave the same way in each situation or can we start to think differently?
Many of us live in our own perfectly created worlds where family, friends, and careers hold steady and change comes from external forces like marriage and children. Our lives are familiar and safe and the mental stimulation and social interactions we have remain unfettered with change.
Our brains evolved naturally to keep us safe. We understand that if we can avoid potentially scary and stressful situations, we will maintain the status quo. While this fight or flight protection was key to our growth as a species in the old world, in the modern world it leads to never-changing routine, monotony, and a narrower view of the world around us.
Changing the way one thinks is not easy. It is very difficult to rewire a brain that likes routine and sameness with encouraging new or opposing viewpoints. Self-awareness plays a huge role in changing the way we interpret information. We cannot think differently if we don’t pay attention to how we currently think, and to do this takes patience and understanding of how you react to others and your environment.
Changing the way you think can take many forms, but here are three immediate things you can do to start transforming the way you view and think about the world.
1. Widen your social circle. Think about the last new friendship you made and how exciting it was to learn about that person and their life. Seeking new relationships is one of the easiest ways to start breaking your thought patterns. People from different backgrounds, religions, cultures, and occupations have the power to transform your “group think” mentality and introduce you to different and exciting worlds, worlds, you might not normally see on your own.
2. Change the things you do. Introducing your brain to new stimuli forges new neural pathways in the brain and makes you smarter and a better problem solver. Learning a language, starting the Sunday crossword, trying a new sport, or taking up a new hobby are very simple methods to help change our viewpoints.
3. See new places. This doesn’t have to mean going to another country (although, it’s highly encouraged), but the act of simply breaking up a heavily traversed path will do wonders for your brain. Going to an unfamiliar grocery store or part of town will engage your brain’s hippocampus and temporal lobe, forcing them to add new information. This is how your brain goes to the gym and pumps up. Any opportunity to indulge yourself in unfamiliar surroundings will result in a dose of good for your brain and critical thinking skills.