7 habits that will teach you to think like a scientist

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Researchers and scientists are people with a special mindset. We should learn to think like them. And not because it is interesting and difficult. But because the scientific approach is very effective and helps to solve many everyday and work problems.

I was not defeated. I just found 10,000 ways that don't work.

Thomas Edison

It is believed that Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. However, this is not quite true. At the time when he started work, other scientists had been developing their own version of this device for several years. Edison's success lay in the fact that he managed to create a vacuum inside a glass bulb. As a result, Edison's light bulb was on for several hours - an unprecedented runtime at the time.

The success of Thomas Edison was preceded by long painstaking work and a lot of experiments. To find the right solution, he made over a thousand unsuccessful attempts. However, Edison himself did not regard his own failures as something bad. He said that it was a thousand steps to success.

Scientists' habits and mindsets are very rewarding skills worth acquiring. They will help to change the attitude towards the task at hand and develop new original ideas. To make it easier to put the principles of scientific thinking into practice, you need to develop a few habits that will help you think and act like a scientist.

Expect failure and learn from mistakes

It's rare to create something perfect the first time. If you fail, learn from it. Scientists view errors as new information that needs to be analyzed. In the same way, by the way, they apply to successful attempts. New data will one way or another lead to the correct answer. For a scientist, a negative result is not something bad, because if we analyze our failures, we gain new knowledge and understanding of the situation.

Think of failure as new information that needs to be analyzed to understand where the correct answer lies.

Strive to find creativity

We cannot solve problems using the same type of thinking that we used when we created them.

Albert Einstein

Scientists believe that in order to solve a problem, you must step aside, examine it carefully and define it. The next step is to rephrase your description of the task at hand so that it is easier to solve. For example, ask yourself how you can improve your productivity and efficiency instead of trying to make your job easier.

You need to see and perceive the problem easier, and not look for easy ways to solve it.

Once you change the way you think, you will most likely find a new creative approach to solving the problem at hand.

Make guesses

You need to constantly challenge the status quo and refuse to take anything for granted. To do this, use assumptions, try to put them forward one by one, challenging reality and turning traditional ideas upside down. Experiment with problem-solving approaches and test your assumptions for truth.

Avoid prejudice

Testing a hypothesis or hypothesis requires an integrated approach. You need to conduct research and experimentation in a way that avoids or minimizes the effects of bias. This is especially true in situations when you are trying to solve your own personal questions and problems. Once you have an idea and are confident that it will work, you need to come up with a way to eliminate bias and bias. Before starting work, be sure that you will get the true result.

Ask questions constantly

Children literally harass their parents by constantly asking them questions. "Why the sky is blue? Why does the dog bark? Why are dinosaurs extinct? " They do this because they want to learn. Scientists are constantly asking questions too. And you should develop this habit if you want to keep learning. You can't find the right answer if you don't know what question to ask.

Collaborate with others

Scientists rarely work alone. Einstein, Galileo, Marie Curie, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, and Nikola Tesla collaborated with other researchers. If those whom we today consider geniuses and greatest thinkers wanted to find help and support, why not learn how to cooperate with others? Collaboration is a great way to practice problem solving skills in a group. To do this, you need to learn how to create joint ideas, get feedback on your work and put forward proposals to the general court.

Discuss the result

It is very important for scientists to share and discuss the results of their own work. They often find a solution by learning about the achievements of other researchers. Sharing information and experience with colleagues will lead your employees to use the knowledge gained and improve their own results, productivity and efficiency.