

Slow thinking allows us to recognize when our thoughts and feelings may be being directed by automatic responses. Check out our article about relaxation techniques for coping with negativity, anxiety and stress that will help you to benefit from slow thinking. Thinks like mindfulness seek to activate this system by using techniques drawing on our slow thinking systems. This helps us to produce calm and relaxed states. On the other side of our autonomic nervous system is the parasympathetic nervous system. This naturally arouses our sympathetic nervous system, the part of our autonomic nervous system that puts us into fight or flight mode, heightening our stress levels. In the world today, our fast-paced lives can lead us to feel like we never have enough time to do anything. When patients were supported to slow down their thinking processes and recognize fast thoughts, they were able to bring down levels of paranoia. Similarly, a 2015 study found that thinking slowly could be beneficial in cases of psychosis. They also found that an inability to adaptively regulate emotional responses to challenging situations was a common trait in numerous forms of psychopathology. Studies like “ The Rediscovery of Slowness: Exploring the Timing of Cognition” have shown that the ability to use slow thinking processes can be characteristic of a healthy brain.

Here, we outline 5 ways that slowing down your thinking can be beneficial for you and society at large. 5 benefits of slow thinking, according to science If we let system 1 dominate too much, then we will miss out on the potential benefits of thinking slow. However, they can also come into conflict. As such, these systems can both be beneficial at times. When we do difficult Math, we are usually forced into using this second system. The second relies more on logic, deliberative thought, conscious effort, and taking time – or being slow. This system is linked to our survival instincts, helping us to quickly respond to danger. The first relies on fast, instinctive, and emotional action. In the book ‘Thinking Fast and Slow’, Kahneman argues that the human mind is made up of two systems.

However, this position fails to recognize the value of slow thinking. This understanding leads Gladwell to argue that spontaneous decisions are good or sometimes even better than decisions we carefully plan.

Gladwell argues that intuition is the result of meaningful work undertaken by individuals and is more like intelligent design than some magical property from within. In this vein, Malcolm Gladwell’s interesting book ‘Blink’ champions thinking without thinking. People often associate thinking fast with intelligence, strength, and being funny.
