Our cognitive resources are one of the most valuable individual and collective assets we possess.
Cognitive kindness is extending a generosity of spirit toward others' minds and one's own mind. It starts from valuing our individual and collective cognitive abilities - to reason, to understand, to imagine, create, dream, enact.

Being kind to our minds

Being kind to the mind depends on understanding how our minds work.
For example, studies show that people often overestimate how transparent they appear to others. In one study, participants induced to lie overestimated the extent to which others could tell they were lying.

The illusion of transparency

<ul>
<li>Broadcast your intentions. Even if we think our intentions are apparent to others, they may not be.</li>
<li>Broadcast or even exaggerate your interest. If you are attending a presentation that you're very interested in, exaggerate your interest by leaning forward, nodding your head, and making eye contact.</li>
<li>Find other ways you can overcome the illusion of transparency with the goal of making another's thinking easier.</li>
</ul>

How to overcome the illusion of transparency

<h3>KEY POINTS</h3><UL><LI>Our cognitive abilities and resources are among our most valuable individual and collective assets.</LI><LI>Cognitive kindness honors our abilities to reason and understand, to imagine and create, to dream and design.</LI><LI>We each have the ability and responsibility to empower the thinking of others.</LI></UL><img alt="Kristopher Roller/Unsplash" height="471" src="https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/styles/image-article_inline_full_caption/public/field_blog_entry_images/2021-04/kristopher-roller-pc_lbssxcze-unsplash_0.jpg?itok=7x3Oap_6" title="Kristopher Roller/Unsplash" width="624"><div>Source: Kristopher Roller/Unsplash</div><h3>Being Kind to Our Minds</h3>Valuable resources should ideally be requested and allocated intentionally. And while we're often at least aware of the importance of treating resources such as money and time with care, we often fail to even recognize the importance of doing so for what are arguably our most valuable individual and collective assets of all—our cognitive resources.<div>article continues after advertisement</div>The birth of modern-day cognitive psychology is often referred to as "The Cognitive Revolution." That revolution elevated the study of thought within psychology.&nbsp;We need nothing short of a new kind of cognitive revolution, one that elevates thinking&nbsp;not just within a field of study, but&nbsp;within our lives.&nbsp;A revolution centered on what we call&nbsp;cognitive kindness.&nbsp;Cognitive kindness is a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/altruism" title="Psychology Today looks at generosity" dir="ltr">generosity</a> of spirit toward others’ minds and one’s own mind that proceeds from a fundamental valuing of our individual and collective cognitive abilities. Cognitive kindness calls our <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/attention" title="Psychology Today looks at attention" dir="ltr">attention</a> to our tremendous cognitive abilities—our abilities to reason and understand, to imagine and create, to dream and design, to envision and enact. Ideally, cognitive kindness is extended to others without the expectation of any particular return for ourselves. It’s about empowering the thinking of others.&nbsp;Cognitive kindness urges us to consider how we might apply what science tells us about how our minds work to all that we do and design, in ways that liberate and empower the full cognitive potential of each person.&nbsp;What could that look like?&nbsp;Let's consider&nbsp;one example. And because being effectively&nbsp;kind to the mind&nbsp;depends on an accurate understanding of how our minds work, let's begin with a research finding.<h3>Research Reveals: The Illusion of Transparency</h3>Studies suggest that people often overestimate the extent to which their thoughts, attitudes, and feelings are evident to others—a phenomenon termed&nbsp;the illusion of transparency.&nbsp;For example, participants induced to lie overestimated the extent to which others could tell that they were <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/deception" title="Psychology Today looks at lying" dir="ltr">lying</a>, and in another study, participants asked to drink samples of good-tasting and foul-tasting liquids overestimated the number of people who could tell which liquid they were drinking&nbsp;(Gilovich, Medvec, &amp; Savitsky, 1998).<div>article continues after advertisement</div><h3>From Research Toward Cognitive Kindness: Some Ideas</h3>Now, how might we take that research finding and apply it toward cognitive kindness—i.e., apply it in ways that ease and/or improve the thinking of others in our everyday lives?One Idea: Broadcast Your IntentionsImagine this: You're out for a walk and are about to cross the exit from a parking lot. You notice a car pull out of a parking space and approach the exit. You're not sure whether the driver sees you or is planning to stop; the driver may be wondering something similar about you. The illusion of transparency tells us that even if we think our intentions are obvious, they may not be.&nbsp;Why not broadcast your intention to walk behind&nbsp;and not in front of the vehicle by angling your body accordingly and walking deliberately in that direction? By doing so, you've substantially reduced the challenge for the driver of accurately anticipating your next move.&nbsp;You've just been cognitively kind in multiple ways: You've freed up cognitive capacity for the driver&nbsp;and&nbsp;increased the&nbsp;driver's predictive accuracy.Another Idea: Broadcast (or Even Exaggerate) Your InterestNow imagine you're attending a presentation that you're keenly interested in. You'd expect this would be obvious to the presenter. Yet you also know about the illusion of transparency. What might you do?&nbsp;Intentionally broadcasting—exaggerating even—indicators of your interest can liberate the cognitive capacity of a presenter who is trying to figure out whether the audience cares. Lean forward, nod your head, and make eye contact, perhaps with a&nbsp;bit more gusto than you might feel is necessary.&nbsp;<div>article continues after advertisement</div>More Ideas: Your IdeasIn what other ways and in what other contexts might we apply the concept&nbsp;of the illusion of transparency with the goal of easing and&nbsp;improving one&nbsp;another's thinking? We encourage your consideration of interactions and contexts large and small.In future posts, we'll further&nbsp;explore some principles and&nbsp;possibilities for cognitive kindness, each grounded in what science tells us&nbsp;about how our minds work.© Karen YuReferencesGilovich, T., Medvec, V. H., &amp; Savitsky, K. (1998). The illusion of transparency: Biased assessments of others' ability to read one's emotional states. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(2), 332-346.<UL><LI><img alt="Facebook icon" src="https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/all/modules/custom/pt_social_media/img/icon-share-round-facebook-lg.svg" width="45" height="46"></LI></UL>

Our minds are among our most valuable individual and collective resources, and yet we often don’t treat them that way. Cognitive kindness offers a way forward.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

health

Health

problemsolving

Problem Solving

communication

Communication

<ul><li>Our cognitive abilities and resources are among our most valuable individual and collective assets. </li><li>Cognitive kindness honors our abilities to reason and understand, to imagine and create, to dream and design. </li><li>We each have the ability and responsibility to empower the thinking of others. </li> </ul>

Valuable resources should ideally be requested and allocated intentionally. And while we're often at least aware of the importance of treating resources such as money and time with care, we often fail to even recognize the importance of doing so for what are arguably our most valuable individual and collective assets of all—our cognitive resources.

The birth of modern-day cognitive psychology is often referred to as "The Cognitive Revolution." That revolution elevated the study of thought within psychology. We need nothing short of a new kind of cognitive revolution, one that elevates thinking not just within a field of study, but within our lives.  A revolution centered on what we call cognitive kindness.

Cognitive kindness is a <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/altruism" title="Psychology Today looks at generosity">generosity </a>of spirit toward others’ minds and one’s own mind that proceeds from a fundamental valuing of our individual and collective cognitive abilities. Cognitive kindness calls our <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/attention" title="Psychology Today looks at attention">attention </a>to our tremendous cognitive abilities—our abilities to reason and understand, to imagine and create, to dream and design, to envision and enact. Ideally, cognitive kindness is extended to others without the expectation of any particular return for ourselves. It’s about empowering the thinking of others.

Cognitive kindness urges us to consider how we might apply what science tells us about how our minds work to all that we do and design, in ways that liberate and empower the full cognitive potential of each person. What could that look like? Let's consider one example. And because being effectively kind to the mind depends on an accurate understanding of how our minds work, let's begin with a research finding.

Research Reveals: The Illusion of Transparency

Studies suggest that people often overestimate the extent to which their thoughts, attitudes, and feelings are evident to others—a phenomenon termed the illusion of transparency .

For example, participants induced to lie overestimated the extent to which others could tell that they were <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/deception" title="Psychology Today looks at lying">lying </a>, and in another study, participants asked to drink samples of good-tasting and foul-tasting liquids overestimated the number of people who could tell which liquid they were drinking (Gilovich, Medvec, &amp; Savitsky, 1998).

From Research Toward Cognitive Kindness: Some Ideas

Now, how might we take that research finding and apply it toward cognitive kindness—i.e., apply it in ways that ease and/or improve the thinking of others in our everyday lives?

One Idea: Broadcast Your Intentions

Imagine this: You're out for a walk and are about to cross the exit from a parking lot. You notice a car pull out of a parking space and approach the exit. You're not sure whether the driver sees you or is planning to stop; the driver may be wondering something similar about you. The illusion of transparency tells us that even if we think our intentions are obvious, they may not be.

Why not broadcast your intention to walk behind  and not in front of the vehicle by angling your body accordingly and walking deliberately in that direction? By doing so, you've substantially reduced the challenge for the driver of accurately anticipating your next move.

You've just been cognitively kind in multiple ways: You've freed up cognitive capacity for the driver and increased the driver's predictive accuracy.

Another Idea: Broadcast (or Even Exaggerate) Your Interest

Now imagine you're attending a presentation that you're keenly interested in. You'd expect this would be obvious to the presenter. Yet you also know about the illusion of transparency. What might you do?

Intentionally broadcasting—exaggerating even—indicators of your interest can liberate the cognitive capacity of a presenter who is trying to figure out whether the audience cares. Lean forward, nod your head, and make eye contact, perhaps with a bit more gusto than you might feel is necessary.

More Ideas: Your Ideas

In what other ways and in what other contexts might we apply the concept of the illusion of transparency with the goal of easing and improving one another's thinking? We encourage your consideration of interactions and contexts large and small.

In future posts, we'll further explore some principles and possibilities for cognitive kindness, each grounded in what science tells us about how our minds work.

Gilovich, T., Medvec, V. H., &amp; Savitsky, K. (1998). The illusion of transparency: Biased assessments of others' ability to read one's emotional states. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 75 (2), 332-346.

What Is Cognitive Kindness?

Being kind to our minds

The illusion of transparency

How to overcome the illusion of transparency

CURATED BY

Related collections

More like this