It seems that more and more people get carried away by their emotions instead of using logic to make decisions. But why is it so hard for us to reason? This question has been the cause of many debates, investigations and scientific theories. In this article we will examine some of the keys to this issue.

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We propose to demonstrate that people are much less rational than what is usually believed and systematically expose the reasons. Nobody, needless to say that including myself, is exempt from this lack of logic. We are all irrational part of the time, and the more complex the decisions that have to be made, the more we tend to be.

Irrationality can only be defined as a contrast to rationality, so we must first ask what it is to be rational. Rationality takes two forms:

In the first one, rational thinking leads to the most probably correct conclusion, taking into account the knowledge that is available. The decisions made in this way are more complicated, since a decision can only be evaluated if we know all the variables.
The other form of rationality is to act in such a way that the person, taking into account the knowledge he has, has the best chance of achieving his goal.

"Rationality is not one of the strengths of humanity."

-John Scalzi-

Why is it so difficult for us to reason?

The book Irrationality, the inner enemy, answers the question of why we are so wrong in reasoning and solving problems. It gives us a skeptical, but hopeful, view of our ability to think logically and act accordingly. In addition, it teaches us several procedures that we can follow to improve this ability.

Not all our mistakes may be solved by the procedures suggested by the author, Stuart Sutherland. However, it is very likely that, having previously known the content of this book, most of us would not have made many of the wrong decisions that directly or indirectly affected our lives.

Studying the mechanisms of irrationality is a way to self-knowledge and, incidentally, to the knowledge of the functioning of society. Obedience, conformism, the error of availability, organizational madness, out of place coherence, the halo effect, the spectator effect, stereotypes ... are some of the characteristics of our thinking that are studied as possible sources of our erroneous form to reason.

On the other hand, rationality also has to do with decision making. In this sense, it is usually understood that if our choices direct us to our ends, we will be rational people; Yes No No. There are several psychological factors that lead us to make appropriate decisions. The main ones are the following: the ability to postpone judgment, the complexity of the decision and the influence of emotions.

"Active reasoning is learned through practice; It should be practiced for a long time and in many varied ways. "

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Are we aware that we fall into the traps of our own irrationality?

Beliefs do not always come from reality, but sometimes arise from the need we have to maintain our self-image. For example, if we believe that others are unreliable, it may be because we need to see ourselves as honest people in comparison.

Thus, in some occasions, our strongest beliefs only hide a very deep fear. Even, they can be the projection of own characteristics that we do not want to accept because they would come into conflict with the idealized image that we have of ourselves.

Sometimes, we are too comfortable and we do not want to change. When we believe in something, we adopt a position that is comfortable for us because in this way we are not forced to change or keep looking. No matter what content a belief adopts, once we take it for granted, our search is over. But sometimes, this can lead to errors in our logic.

"Little observation and a lot of reasoning can be misleading; many observations and a little reasoning to the truth. "

-Alexis Carrel-

Can we train our reasoning?

Our way of thinking can and should be trained. From small they teach us all kinds of personal care behaviors regarding the physical: brush our teeth, bathe, fix our nails, eat, learn to dress. But what about psychological care and mental hygiene?

We have to start from the basis that, sometimes, our mind deceives us. The reality we observe first passes through certain filters. These make that before the same event (such as changes, breaks, unexpected situations ...), it is considered a wonderful opportunity or a negative event.

These thought filters are so powerful that they can act as traps, trapping us and provoking emotions that are not always pleasant. In addition, they can make us make decisions or reach conclusions that are not entirely correct.

In short, by taking care of our mental hygiene we can escape from our own intellectual traps. How to do it? Following these rational principles, it will be easier for us to reason and solve our problems.

Looking for evidence or arguments that oppose our beliefs.
Not believing an affirmation as true because we believe that part of it is true.
Remembering that changing your mind in the light of new tests is a sign of strength, not weakness.
Trying not to get carried away little by little towards an action that, in the beginning, we would not have chosen.
Not letting ourselves be dragged by a crowd to carry out actions that we would not do alone.

It may be that not all of our thinking errors are solved by the rational principles that we suggest in this article; but it is very likely that, with a little effort, we will be able to improve greatly when it comes to making decisions and understanding how the world really works.