What is reversible thinking? Holding on to beliefs

Sometimes we are unable to see obvious answers because we do not let go of our beliefs.

The brain is often thought of as an organ dedicated to performing painstaking rational analysis of everything that concerns our survival. However, when we look into a concept called reversible thinking a concept called reversible thinkingwe see that this is not the case. To exemplify this, we can use a little game.

I am going to show you four different cards. On each of them, on one side there is a number and on the other side there is a letter.

And I would also like you to know that I am convinced that on each card with an "E" on one side, there is a "2" on the other side..

Now I ask you: How can you know if I am telling the truth? What minimum number of cards do I need to turn over to find out if my statement is correct or false?

Before reading on or going out to look for the solution to the problem, take a few minutes to think about it... And remember your answer.

• Related article, "Are we rational or emotional beings?"

Playing with thought

If you think that to know if my statement is correct or not, it is necessary to turn over the card containing the letter "E", then you have answered like the vast majority of people to whom the problem was posed. On the other side of the card with the letter "E" there may or may not be a number "2". If not, then you would be certain that my statement is false.

But on the other hand, it turns out that if you do indeed find a number "2", that is not enough to assert that my statement is true. Now, it is likely that you would then come to the conclusion that it is also necessary to turn over the card that has the "2" on it to check if there is an "E" on the back. But that solution is also incorrect.

In the case that there is a letter "E" behind the card with the "2" we will know with certainty that the assertion I made at the beginning is correct. But on the other hand, remember that I have not said anything about what should be behind the card that has the letter "2", being able to find, in truth, any of the many letters of the alphabet. And if we turn over the card that has the letter "N"?

Well, I think it is obvious that this solution makes no sense. The problem is satisfactorily solved by turning over the cards with the letter "E" and the number "5". Can you understand why, can't you?

But what an outrage. I have to explain everything to you!

The reversible thought

Clearly, first of all it is necessary to see if there is a "2" behind the card marked with an "E". But we must also sniff out what is behind the card with the "5" on it, because only then will we know without a doubt, in the case of finding an "E" on the other side, that the premise I formulated at the beginning is true.

Let's look at it another way. If behind an "E" there can be a "5" that would spoil the statement, it is licit to think that behind a "5" there can also be an "E" which, for practical purposes, is exactly the same thing. The possibility of reasoning in one direction and also in the opposite direction is known as reverse thinking. is known as reversible thinkingand it seems to be a property that tends to be in short supply among specimens of the human race.

When we believe something, what we usually do is to look for information that confirms our beliefWe rarely take the trouble to look for counter-proof, in case we are mistaken.

We make quick, accelerated, almost unthinking judgments, and as soon as some indication appears that we are right about what we thought, we immediately conform; this is a phenomenon that happens every day, and as incredible as it may seem, from which practically no one is exempt, from the individual with the lowest possible educational level to the one with the highest academic honors.

Don't believe me? I am going to tell you about a series of studies that have revealed the thought process that doctors follow when diagnosing.

The first hypothesis is the winning one

Imagine you go to see Dr. Gonzalez. Once in the office, to the typical question "What brings you here?", you tell him about a series of complaints that have been bothering you for several days. As is natural in this case, the doctor takes note of your symptoms and begins to think of one or two hypotheses that could explain the problem. Based on this diagnosis, which the doctor considers probable, he or she performs a brief physical examination and orders a series of tests.

Well, the scientific evidence suggests that in cases like this one, doctors stick to their original hypothesis.They dive headlong into confirming it, and often lose sight of the need to come up with a counter test to validate the diagnosis (the equivalent of flipping the card with the number "5" on it).

But the matter is even more serious. What has been observed is that physicians (even the experts, who have many hours of clinical experience) tend to disregard data that do not fit their expectationsThey underestimate them, or sometimes even ignore them completely. According to the very nature of the brain, any clinical picture that a patient may present cannot be assessed objectively and absolutely. Beyond his knowledge, the physician makes an interpretation of what the patient tells him, and establishes in his mind a starting point on the basis of which he orders the studies he considers necessary.

The problem lies in the fact that this original diagnosis often serves as a rigid and immovable anchor point. The professional then strives to find data to confirm his previous opinion. In the process, they may even overestimate any minor or irrelevant clue that goes in the same direction as their previous expectations, giving it a high degree of confirmatory value while, at the same time, downplaying any information that is not congruent.

When we cling to expectations

I am not suggesting to the reader that he should not visit his doctor the next time he catches the flu or feels pain. Nor am I suggesting that I should lecture you on how to do your job. But the truth is that there is practically no subject concerning the human species on which psychologists have not put their magnifying glass at some point in history, and the subject of reversible thinking is one of them.

And that's how clinical reasoning often works.. The first diagnosis that comes to the doctor's mind determines the path to follow, and also contributes to distort the interpretation of the results of the different studies requested to the suffering patient. Something similar happens with most people, regardless of their occupation, in their daily lives and in their personal relationships.

All this irrationality that tinges the senses and plays such an important role in everyday decisions is attributable, in part, to the fact that the brain is a cognitive sluggard. the brain is a cognitive sluggard.. This means that it is governed according to a principle of mental economy that often leads us to make mistakes in our day-to-day judgments. It is an invisible, unconscious process by which we simplify the complex, and it helps us to create mental categories in order to classify our experience so that we do not have to start from scratch every time we face a new situation.

It also induces us to take shortcuts in our processes of reasoning and drawing conclusions; all, of course, with the laudable purpose of making things easier for us, but unfortunately at the additional cost of some small folly or irrationality in our behavior.

So, the brain should be demystified and not consider it a supercomputer designed to perform painstaking data analysis according to conventional logic. Whenever possible, it uses resources to take work off its hands.