1. 朗读-3种常见的思维陷阱，你中招了吗？

Day 1  How to Recognize and AvoidCommon ThinkingTraps

科学美国人

The mind likes to worry,criticize, complain, doubt, regret, downplay, and generally bring us back downto earth. It sometimes even goes too far and keeps us mired in muddy, unhelpful swamps. But how can I gain better awareness of the tricks my thoughts play, andhow do I get out of unhelpful thinking traps for better mental health and more successful living?

Thinking trap1: Black-and-white thinking

"I bombed this presentation because I messed up the order of two important slides."

We're very good at makingcontrasts and comparisons.No wonder we often draw all-or-nothing lines thatput our situation in the “awful” box while others seem to be in the “awesome”box.But is there really no middle ground, no room for mistakes, between aperfect presentation and a “ totally bombed” one?

Thefirst tip for healthier thinking is to allow natural nuance. The goal isn’t toconvince yourself that you like a situation you don’t like. Rather, it’s toacknowledge that there are gray areas and caveats. The more of those you see,the clearer the picture will be.

Thinkingtrap 2: Jumping to conclusions

"Shedidn’t answer my text, so she must be mad at me."

Forbetter or worse, our brains are faster than the speed of sound, always racingahead on the fabric of time-space to see what might lie ahead. Sometimes thisis very helpful! But sometimes, this eagerness to think ahead lands us introuble.

Ifyou feel yourself feeling nervous or discouraged about an upcoming situation,ask yourself if your thought is based on facts that have already happened? Oris it based on what you fear might happen? It’s helpful to remember that, atthe very least, what you fear is not yet true. There’s no need to spend timewrestling with this thought right now.

Thinkingtrap 3: Mental filter

"Mypartner is always leaving dirty clothes on the floor. She's hopeless!"

Inaddition to being lightning fast, our brains are also naturally good defenselawyers. Without even knowing it, we often stake out a claim and automaticallystart searching for evidence to back it up. But we have a harder time noticingor remembering evidence to the contrary.

Nexttime you feel stuck or despairing about something, see if you’re looking at thesituation with blinders on. Put on an independent investigator’s hat instead ofa defense lawyer’s, and let yourself explore the evidence.

The way to a healthy mentalexperience is not to control our thoughts. The truth is, our thoughts are notalways positive, and they shouldn’t be. To help us navigate the world and makesound decisions, we need a variety of thoughts, not just positive ones.