Thinking Systems: Fast and Slow Processes in the Brain

The brain processes information through two distinct systems, fast and slow thinking, influencing perception and decision-making.

### Understanding the Two Systems of Thinking in Your Brain
* 🧠 Your brain processes information through two distinct systems: **fast thinking (System 1)** and **slow thinking (System 2)**.
* 👁 System 1 operates automatically and quickly, often leading to cognitive illusions, like the **Müller-Lyer illusion** and the **Ames room illusion**.
* 💡 System 2, on the other hand, requires **conscious effort** and is often engaged in tasks that demand **attention and calculation**.
* 💭 System 1 generates quick answers based on intuition, which can sometimes be **incorrect**, as seen in the "bat and ball" question.
* 🔍 System 1 also creates context unconsciously through **priming**, where exposure to one stimulus influences the response to another.
* ♂ Despite System 2's belief that it's in control, **System 1's automatic processes can significantly impact behavior**.
* 📚 For a comprehensive exploration of these thinking systems, you can delve into Daniel Kahneman's book "**Thinking, Fast and Slow**."

You may not realize it, but your brain actually processes information in two very distinct ways. Like when you look at this photo, you instantly know she has blond hair, is visibly angry, and likely has some choice words to yell. Without any effort, you experience fast thinking. But if you look at the following problem, something different happens. Sure, you immediately know it's a multiplication problem, and you knew you could solve it if you had the energy, but didn't. If you do try, your muscles will tense, and your pupils will dilate, and your heart rate will increase. Now, you've experienced slow thinking. These two systems of fast and slow thinking dictate much of our perception and reaction in life. Take these lines, for example, it's clear that they're different lengths, but if you measure them, they're actually the exact same length. Even now that you know, system 1 or your fast thinking can't stop seeing the illusion because it acts automatically. Similar effect to seeing here.

which figure's the largest? Again, they're all the same size, but the suggestion of perspective in depth causes your system 1 to interpret the picture as three-dimensional, even though it's on a flat two-dimensional surface. It's making quick work of the available information, and so your conscious system 2 or slow thinking must compensate after the fact and choose not believe your intuition or instinct. Wanna see your system 2 in action? We'll show you a string of four digits, you read them out loud then add one to each of the original digits. If the card reads 3795, the correct response would be 4806. We'll then go to the next card, and you'll do the same, followed by the next card. Ready? Go! Few people can cope with more than four digits, but even harder is add 3. The interesting bit is that though your pupils would have dilated, you often become effectively blind when you fully engage system 2.

Did you notice the color of the text change? Or how about the fact that the numbers completely changed when I put them off to the side? Listen to the following puzzle. A bat and a ball cost $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? Chances are, your system 1 intuition was yelling 10 cents. But this appealing system 1 answer, we know, is wrong. In fact, the correct answer is 5 cents. Even if you worked out the correct answer, you likely thought of 10 cents along the way. System 1 is trying to work out an answer as quickly and seamlessly as possible. Which is extremely beneficial in everyday life. If every activity required full mental effort, it would be exhausting. But knowing this allows us to understand that not all of our first impressions are correct. How many animals of each kind did Moses take into the ark? So few people detect what is wrong with this question that it's been dubbed the Moses illusion.

In fact, Moses took no animals. Noah did. Again, our brain invests as little resources as necessary so that things run quickly and smoothly. Because Moses is not abnormal in the biblical context, System 1 unconsciously detects an association between Moses and ark and quickly accepts the question. In a similar way, System 1 generates context without you knowing. Reading each of the following may seem fairly simple: ABC, Ann approached the bank, and 12, 13, 14. But your brain actually interpreted these ambiguous statements without you ever knowing. You could have read it as A, 13, C or 12, B, 14. But your brain created the context unconsciously. Also, you likely imagined a woman with money on her mind walking towards a building with tellers. But if the sentence before this was: they were floating gently down the river, the entire scene would've changed because Bank would no longer be associated with money. Without an explicit context, System 1 quickly generates one based off similar experiences. In this case, you've likely visited more banks than rivers and so the context is resolved accordingly.

This ties into a concept called Priming. For example, if I said, Wash, how would you complete this word fragment? Most would see soap, but had I just shown you the word Eat, you'd be more likely to see Soup. In this way, both Eat and wash prime your thoughts. Though system 2 likes to think that it's in charge and knows what's going on, the truth is that priming effects have even been shown to affect and modify behavior. These effects arrive in system one, and you have no conscious access to them. If you'd like to learn more about the thinking system in your brain, check out the book Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, which covers it in great detail. I'll put the link in the description, which you can check out. Got a burning question you want answered? Ask it in the comments or on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe for more weekly science videos.

Brain Tricks - This Is How Your Brain Works

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The brain processes information through fast thinking, effortlessly recognizing images and making quick judgments.

On the other hand, slow thinking is triggered when faced with complex problems, leading to physical and mental effort.

The interaction between these two systems heavily influences perception and decision-making in daily life.

The Deceptive Nature of System 1 Thinking

The puzzle of the bat and the ball demonstrates how our quick, intuitive thinking can lead to the wrong answer.

System 1 intuition often provides appealing but incorrect solutions, as seen in the case of the Moses illusion.

Understanding the limitations of rapid decision-making helps us recognize the potential for errors in our initial impressions.

The Unconscious Role of System 1 in Generating Context

Our brain conserves resources by quickly associating familiar elements, as seen in the example of Moses and the ark.

System 1 unconsciously creates context based on past experiences, as demonstrated with the ambiguous statements and the word "bank".

The brain rapidly generates a context for the most familiar experiences, influencing our interpretation of the world.

The Power of Priming in Influencing Behavior

Priming can subconsciously influence thoughts and behavior, as shown through word association experiments.

These effects are driven by the brain's automatic response system, with no conscious awareness.

"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman provides a detailed exploration of the brain's thinking processes, including priming.