Expanding Your Mind Helps You To Access More Of Your Brain

Many of us may not think of our minds as unstructured, but we do know they can be more, than we realize. If we take more time to see the loop we go through, we can learn how to expand our minds and increase our mental capacity. Most of us usually associate narrow thinking with smartness, but scientists are challenging that belief. Neuroscience is now showing that different thinking styles actually permit people to reach different parts of their brain. As your mind expands, your life changes. You release hormones, that make you happier, feel longer-lasting energy and even enhance your creativity.

Many Assumptions Based On Our Brain's Evolution

There are many presumptions, that are based on the brain's evolutionary path. You probably know some of them such as the importance of hands and the use of tools. Other assumptions are much more subtle. For example, many psychologists believe that the human brain is hardwired to find patterns and that our minds are naturally drawn to conclusions before we have all the facts. You might not always accept these conclusions, but you are not faulting the reasoning process that lead to them. The brain has always been a pattern-seeking machine and your job is to keep it that way.

You do this by structuring your environment (both the physical and the mental), and by having multiple, diverse experiences. By having experiences, that cause your brain to expand and to create new neural pathways, you are giving your brain the best possible chance at developing and maturing. The brain is not a stagnant thing. It must be continually challenged if it is to grow. In this way, it is much like a muscle. The more it is used, the bigger it gets. In this way, you are making sure, that your brain gets the exercise it needs, and that it stays sharp.

Thinking Styles

One of the most helpful ways of looking at the different ways of thinking is to separate the day-to-day from the long-term. The long-term plans are what we are most concerned with. The day-to-day and the week-to-week are not a big deal. Thinking about the long-term helps us prepare for the day-to-day and the week-to-week. If we spend our time thinking about the future, we are able to better prepare for it in a way, that can only be considered beneficial to us.

• The Linear Approach: The first way of thinking, that I want to discuss is called "The Linear Approach". This is the most common way, that people approach problems. It all starts with a clear and simple goal and then the person uses a step-by-step process to achieve it. In this process, the person is also open to new ideas along the way. The linear thinker is one, who is not afraid to change his or her mind, so long as all the facts are considered. They tend to be very goal-oriented, and don't get too caught up in the small things.

• The Consequentialist: The second way of thinking is "The Consequentialist". These people are more concerned with the results, that they want to achieve. They tend to be more rigid and don't change their mind as easily. They pride themselves on getting the results they want, even if it means they have to bend the rules a little bit. They tend to be more practical and are less likely to get caught up in the finer details.

• The Cyclical: The third way is "The Cyclical" way of looking at things. These people tend to be the least common and are quite rare within the general population. They tend to look at the whole picture and consider all the variables. They tend to come off as odd or eccentric. They don't consider themselves "good" or "bad", but rather "realistic".

Now, it is important to note, that there are other ways of thinking that exist (such as the "Analytical" way), but these three are the most common ways, that people think.

As a rule of thumb, it is usually a bad idea to try to force a change to the way, that you think. Doing so rarely produces the results that you want. It is usually more beneficial to go with the way that you naturally think.

People Who Think Strategically Think Differently, Than Others

You probably noticed, that there are some people, that are really good at something, while other people are basically useless at the same thing. This is because they approach things in different ways. Some people are "Thinking" types, while others are "Feeling" types.

• The Thinking Types: The "Thinking" types tend to be more abstract in their processes. They rely more on their own internal "logic" to reach conclusions. In other words, they use their own brains in a more active way. The downside is that their reasoning is often based on pure speculation. They are not open to new information and tend to be very stubborn. Because of this, they are also the most unlikely to change their minds once a decision has been made.

• The Feeling Types: The "Feeling" types tend to be more concrete in their thought processes. They rely on the information, that is available to them. When new information becomes available, they are quick to consider it, but are also the first to change their mind, if the new information leads to a better understanding. They do this by using their emotions to make decisions and are therefore more likely to make decisions based on the needs and wants of others, rather than on logic and principles. They make up for this, however, by being more malleable and tend to trust others more. Because of this, they are more likely to be persuaded by others.

The best people are a mixture of the two. They are open to both new information and to the emotions of others and make use of both in their decision-making process.

Brains And Creativity

In general, the more active a person's brain is, the sharper that person is. It is important to note, however, that this is not always the case. Some people who are highly intelligent have very little activity in their brains and tend to rely on their bodies to do all the work. Other people who are less intelligent rely more on their brains, and do not perform as well in every situation.

The link between intelligence and brain activity is called "Neural Connectivity". A person with a higher level of Neural Connectivity has a more developed brain, and therefore a higher I.Q.

Some people have brains which are highly developed for their body. These people are called "Empaths" or "Sensitives". The most obvious example of this is a person, who is very highly developed in the area of emotions. Such people are said to be "Empathic" and tend to be very caring about others, and very intuitive. Those with this sort of brain-body connection tend to have higher, than average I.Q.s.

On the other hand, there are those who are very highly connected in their brain and as a result are very lazy. They tend to think of everything as a "cognitive exercise" and tend to not be very productive.

To summarize, there are two extremes of brain-body connections, and the middle ground is the optimal situation.