How come, when we're given information, our minds don't change?
We use “changing our minds” as a metaphor, and our minds have plenty of capacity to change. At the same time, when someone tells us something, our brains register it as “Blah blah. Blah blah. Blah blah,” until something familiar shows up. “Oh good,” our mind says to itself. I know where this goes, and the information gets sorted into an existing slot. Why is that information doesn’t fit gets deflected or reinterpreted to fit. We emerge with all of our biases intact.
Thinking, learning, engaging, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating are cognitively costly: in short, work. Turns out, like the water that makes up ¾ of our brains, our minds seek the path of least resistance.
What stirs us up so we make the magic happen is the mystical element of curiosity. It’s our mind coming aware of something and entering wonder: Who are you? What is possible? When will I know? Where will I find it? How did this happen?
Curiosity and questions are symbiotic. Wonder becomes, “ I wonder . . . ?”
Information keeps us in categories, compartments, and tribes. Questions open us. The secret is: the question has to be honest in that it is driven by a sincere curiosity. In a sales call; in an interview, we often ask for information. Best to find your curiosity and wonder about this other person and explore what manifests.
Who are you? What is possible? When will I know? Where will I find it? How did this happen? Why are we here?