Soldier or scout: what strategy will help you look at things soberly

Different roles - different views of the world

Imagine for a moment that you are a soldier in the midst of a battle. Whether you are a Roman infantryman or a medieval archer, some things will remain the same. You will have an increased level of adrenaline in your blood, and your actions will be explained by reflexes, which are based on the need to protect yourself and your side and defeat the enemy.

Now imagine a completely different role - a scout. His task is not to attack or defend, but to understand. First of all, the scout wants to know the environment as reliably as possible. After all, he needs to draw up a map of the area, identify all possible obstacles.

Naturally, in a real army, both soldiers and scouts are needed. But our brain switches between these two states. And the way we process incoming information and make decisions depends on what mode we are in - soldier or scout.

When we are in soldier mode, our subconscious urges and fears influence how we interpret information.

We take some data for allies and strive to protect, others - for enemies who need to be defeated.

Surely you are also familiar with this state, especially if you are a fan of some kind of sport. When a referee says your team broke the rules, you are likely to try to refute that. But if he decides that the violation was committed by the opposing team, then you will agree with him.

Or imagine that you are reading an article about some controversial issue, such as the death penalty. If you support the introduction of the death penalty, and the research in the article claims that this method is ineffective, you will probably think that the research was carried out incorrectly. And if the opinion of scientists coincides with your point of view, you will find the article good. And this affects all areas of our life: health, relationships, politics, morality.

The worst thing is that the soldier's way of thinking is switched on unconsciously. It seems to us that we are reasoning impartially.

In scout mode, we don't want one idea to win and the other to lose. We try to see reality as it really is, even if it is unpleasant or inconvenient for ourselves.

Why do some people manage to put aside their biases and look at facts and evidence objectively? It turns out it's all about emotions.

The thinking of both the scout and the soldier is based on emotional reactions, only the emotions in both cases are completely different.

For a scout, this is curiosity, the pleasure of learning something new, of solving a puzzle.

Their values are also different. The scout is likely to consider doubt a virtue and is unlikely to say that the one who changes his mind is a weak person. In addition, intelligence is characterized by stability. Their self-esteem is not tied to how right or wrong they are about a question.

For example, if their opinion is refuted, they will say, “Looks like I was wrong. This does not mean that I am bad or stupid. Researchers believe that such traits are precisely what predetermine the ability to reason soberly.

conclusions

If we want to make the right decisions, we do not need additional lessons in logic, rhetoric or economics (although they are useful). We need to learn how to turn on our scout mode. Be proud, not ashamed, when we notice that we were wrong about something. Learn to react curiously, not angrily, to information that conflicts with our views. Think for yourself, what do you want more: to defend your beliefs or to look at the world objectively?