A balancing game

As with any powerful tool, abstract thinking can be a double-edged sword.

• First, abstract thinking without concrete thinking amounts to imagination without execution. Once you have figured out why an idea needs to see the light of day, you need to think about how you will make it happen.
• It can also be dangerous for your mental health to always default to abstract thinking, especially when thinking about past events. Psychology researchers explain that “abstract rumination is characteristic of depressed individuals, as is the tendency to experience post-decisional regret.”