Learn more about problemsolving with this collection
How to overcome unwanted thoughts
How to manage intrusive thoughts
How to change your attitude towards intrusive thoughts
Distancing from the problem
Imagining events from a distance encourages abstract thinking that boosts creativity. After several years of experience, people start to repeat themselves; it becomes more of the same old approach. They become insiders.
One of the most effective ways of cultivating an outsider perspective is to feel distant from the problems. For example, traveling, getting away from the places we spend most of our time. The distance allows one to view problems in a more imaginative way. Suddenly, the mind is aware of those considerations that were previously ignored, and those facts that should be ignored.
21
98 reads
MORE IDEAS ON THIS
The dark side of imagination
Delusions and ordinary cases of self-deception have been characterized as disorders of imagination.
Delusions can be characterized as beliefs that are dysfunctional in their content or formation. That is, a delusion is an imagined interpretation that is mistaken by the sub...
19
93 reads
The vividness effects
Any situation that affects our ability to visualize events and situations may affect our judgments. Visual images are more emotionally salient than words.
We recall emotionally charged events far more than mundane ones. However, this emotional partiality impairs our ab...
18
85 reads
Metaphor
Imagination is central to understanding and interpreting figurative language. Metaphors are figures of speech to convey a truth about the real world. They are transferred from another context to give us new ways to think.
We can imaginatively see a particular perspecti...
18
82 reads
Counterfactual thinking
Counterfactual thinking (alternative versions of one’s personal past) refers to the comparison of reality to hypothetical alternatives (“what if I had made different choices”).
People create counterfactual alternatives to reality when they imagine how things would have turned out diffe...
20
131 reads
Imagining possible futures
Imagination frees us from the confines of our immediate reality. Imagining the future enables us to evaluate alternative paths forward, anticipate how we would feel if they happened, and choose which to pursue.
For instance, by simulating a potential event via mental i...
20
207 reads
How to improve your imagination
Imagination is deeply connected with reality. What we imagine can affect what we believe and vice versa. The richer the personal experience is, the richer the ingredients for imagining.
That is, imagination is nourished by various resources on which the person can draw. Th...
21
89 reads
CURATED FROM
CURATED BY
Related collections
More like this
Separate the people from the problem
People tend to become attached to the position they take on an issue. They will see any response to those issues as a personal attack. Separating people from the issue allows parties to address the issue without harming their relationship.
There are three basi...
Read & Learn
20x Faster
without
deepstash
with
deepstash
with
deepstash
Access to 200,000+ ideas
—
Access to the mobile app
—
Unlimited idea saving & library
—
—
Unlimited history
—
—
Unlimited listening to ideas
—
—
Downloading & offline access
—
—
Personalized recommendations
—
—
Supercharge your mind with one idea per day
Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.
I agree to receive email updates