Enemies of Clear Thinking pt.2
The Emotion Default
Are Emotions Good or Bad?
I had a debate with a friend yesterday. He says he doesn’t like the idea of ‘taking control’ of his emotions. Emotions make us human. He says it’s better to have highs and lows than to always be neutral.
I had no answer I felt too strongly about. He made a good point. All I could say was - try both.
I’ve tried both and I don’t know which I prefer. But one thing I do know is that I feel in much more control when I stay emotionally neutral. And that’s not to say I'm emotionless. It just means that I don’t let myself get carried away by what’s happening around me. I try to see the emotions as “happening to me” and not “part of me”.
Avoiding Dumb Mistakes
While I can’t say with certainty that this is a better way to live life, I can tell you with certainty it’s a better way to avoid dumb mistakes.
“When we respond emotionally, we often don’t even realize that we’re in a position that calls for thinking at all.” (13)
Someone terrified at a haunted house is too emotional to think. A man in a fight with his significant other is also too emotional to think. If he could, he would ask himself before responding - am I putting water or gasoline on the fire? Is this worth fighting over?
The impact of being too emotional can’t be understated. Shane even goes so far as to say,
“Emotions can multiply all of your progress by zero” (13)
This needs to be taken in context. Think of the man losing his temper. He’s more liable to say something that:
He doesn’t mean
He can’t take back
He could shove his relationship into a hole without even thinking about it. He can multiply the strength of his relationship by zero.
Awareness is The First Step
Emotions are one of our biggest enemies of clear thinking. We can’t get rid of emotions, and we probably don’t want to. But we can put up safeguards to minimize emotions’s downside.
We must first be aware of how our physical state affects our emotional state. If you’re hungry, tired, in pain, stressed, feeling unsafe or a host of other things, be wary of your reactions. Our circumstances can make us more likely to react without thinking. Being aware of that is the first step.
In the coming weeks, we’ll go into more detail on how to build strategies to minimize the emotion default’s control on our lives.
Brains Gains
Think of the last time you got into an argument. Did your responses match your overall goals? Or were you too emotional to think straight?
Have a great day. Go crush the weekend!
Your Friend,
Noah “BigNerd” Sochaczevski