Does thinking cause actions?
Rationalization, confabulation, and understanding the link between your actions and why you took them.
Most people want to believe their acts are proceeded by good logical thinking. One of the hardest things for most people to accept about how our brains work is that this may not be true. For the sake of this debate, we may even assume that this is true 100% of the time. But what process connects what we do to how we think, and can we manage it?
Conscious or Subconscious
Whether people think through their actions before they take them can depend on several factors, including the nature of the action, the individual's personality and decision-making style, and the context in which the action is being taken.
Sometimes, people may engage in impulsive or automatic behavior, acting without consciously thinking through their actions beforehand. This can occur when the action is relatively simple, routine, or habitual or when the individual is highly emotional or stressed. In such situations, the brain may rely on well-established neural pathways to guide behavior rather than engaging in deliberate, conscious thought. In some cases, people may engage in more deliberate or thoughtful decision-making, where they weigh the potential consequences of their actions and consider multiple options before making a choice. This can occur when the action is more complex or has a more significant potential impact or when the individual prefers careful, analytical thinking.
Ultimately, the extent to which people think through their actions before taking them can vary widely based on individual and situational factors. Some people may be more impulsive or reactive, while others may be more thoughtful and deliberate. However, even when people engage in impulsive behavior, some level of unconscious processing or decision-making is typically involved, even if it occurs rapidly or automatically.
When someone justifies their actions after taking them, it's commonly called "rationalization." Rationalization is a cognitive process in which individuals try to explain or justify their behavior, feelings, or thoughts to make them seem more reasonable or acceptable to themselves and others. It can involve creating justifications or excuses for their actions, minimizing or denying the negative consequences of their behavior, or finding ways to blame external factors or other people for their actions.
If it's post-the-action, is it truthful?
Haidt refers to post hoc justification as confabulation in his book, The Happiness Hypothesis. Yet confabulation is typically believed to be a memory disturbance that involves producing fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories without the conscious intention to deceive. It occurs when individuals provide false or inaccurate information about events or experiences they believe are valid.
Confabulation can occur in various contexts, including brain injury, dementia, psychiatric disorders, and substance abuse. It can be caused by damage to the brain's frontal lobes, which play a crucial role in memory, attention, and decision-making. In some cases, confabulation may also be a symptom of a more serious underlying condition such as Korsakoff's syndrome or Alzheimer's disease.
Whichever definition you want to use, as we have discussed some of this before (See The 3 Laws of Performance), we may understand (or even accept) that we respond 100% of the time based on how something occurs. These automated System 1 processes help us get through our day-to-day life.
Why does all this matter?
Understanding how your brain works are essential for several reasons:
1. Improved self-awareness: Understanding how your brain works can help you better to understand your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. This increased self-awareness can help you to identify patterns in your thinking and behavior that may be unhelpful or detrimental and make positive changes to improve your mental health and well-being.
2. Better decision-making: By understanding how your brain processes information and makes decisions, you can make more informed and deliberate choices. This can help you avoid impulsive or reactive behaviors with negative consequences.
3. Enhanced learning: Understanding how your brain processes and retains information can help you to develop more effective learning strategies. For example, you can learn how to leverage your brain's natural tendencies, such as the importance of repetition and feedback, to help you learn new skills or information more quickly and effectively.
4. Improved relationships: Understanding how the brain processes social cues and emotions can help you better understand and connect with others. Recognizing and responding to others' emotions can build stronger relationships and improve communication.
5. Improved health: Understanding how the brain impacts physical health, such as how stress affects the body, can help you make lifestyle choices supporting your overall well-being. For example, you may be more likely to engage in stress-reducing activities, such as meditation or exercise, when you understand stress's impact on your brain and body.
In summary, understanding how your brain works can provide valuable insights and tools to improve your overall well-being and achieve your goals. Otherwise, you may just be living with stories that you are telling yourself.