Category: Mental needs

5-tips to improve your Critical thinking WE Modern Humans want to improve our critical thinking. Every day, a sea of decisions stretches before us.

Critical thinking
Every day, a sea of decisions stretches before us. And it’s impossible to make a perfect choice every time. But there are many ways to improve our chances — and one particularly effective technique is critical thinking.

How can you improve yourself?
Samantha Agoos describes a 5-step process that may help you with any number of problems.

TED-ED:
Directed by Nick Hilditch, narrated by Addison Anderson.

Original Source: https://www.ted.com/talks/samantha_agoos_5_tips_to_improve_your_critical_thinking

Available in 32 languages

Every day, a sea of decisions stretches before us. Some are small and unimportant, but others have a larger impact on our lives. For example, which politician should I vote for? Should I try the latest diet craze? Or will email make me a millionaire? We’re bombarded with so many decisions that it’s impossible to make a perfect choice every time. But there are many ways to improve our chances, and one particularly effective technique is critical thinking. This is a way of approaching a question that allows us to carefully deconstruct a situation, reveal its hidden issues, such as bias and manipulation, and make the best decision. If the critical part sounds negative that’s because in a way it is. Rather than choosing an answer because it feels right, a person who uses critical thinking subjects all available options to scrutiny and skepticism. Using the tools at their disposal, they’ll eliminate everything but the most useful and reliable information. There are many different ways of approaching critical thinking, but here’s one five-step process that may help you solve any number of problems. 

One: formulate your question. In other words, know what you’re looking for. This isn’t always as straightforward as it sounds. For example, if you’re deciding whether to try out the newest diet craze, your reasons for doing so may be obscured by other factors, like claims that you’ll see results in just two weeks. But if you approach the situation with a clear view of what you’re actually trying to accomplish by dieting, whether that’s weight loss, better nutrition, or having more energy, that’ll equip you to sift through this information critically, find what you’re looking for, and decide whether the new fad really suits your needs. 

Two: gather your information. There’s lots of it out there, so having a clear idea of your question will help you determine what’s relevant. If you’re trying to decide on a diet to improve your nutrition, you may ask an expert for their advice, or seek other people’s testimonies. Information gathering helps you weigh different options, moving you closer to a decision that meets your goal. 

Three: apply the information, something you do by asking critical questions. Facing a decision, ask yourself, “What concepts are at work?” “What assumptions exist?” “Is my interpretation of the information logically sound?” For example, in an email that promises you millions, you should consider, “What is shaping my approach to this situation?” “Do I assume the sender is telling the truth?” “Based on the evidence, is it logical to assume I’ll win any money?” 

Four: consider the implications. Imagine it’s election time, and you’ve selected a political candidate based on their promise to make it cheaper for drivers to fill up on gas. At first glance, that seems great. But what about the long-term environmental effects? If gasoline use is less restricted by cost, this could also cause a huge surge in air pollution, an unintended consequence that’s important to think about. 

Five: explore other points of view. Ask yourself why so many people are drawn to the policies of the opposing political candidate. Even if you disagree with everything that candidate says, exploring the full spectrum of viewpoints might explain why some policies that don’t seem valid to you appeal to others. This will allow you to explore alternatives, evaluate your own choices, and ultimately help you make more informed decisions. 

This five-step process is just one tool, and it certainly won’t eradicate difficult decisions from our lives. But it can help us increase the number of positive choices we make. Critical thinking can give us the tools to sift through a sea of information and find what we’re looking for. And if enough of us use it, it has the power to make the world a more reasonable place. 

Shared according to TED’s Creative Commons License

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We Modern Humans

WE Modern Humans want to be treated with respect. From a social point of view, we then also should respect and treat others in the same way.

Respect definition
To define respect: regard, esteem coming from a sense of loyalty, appreciation or admiration based on the high value we give another. We have or receive respect due to qualities, performances or skills. When you respect someone, you keep in mind what the other person does or what kind of person he is. It also means: the polite treatment or sparing / saving the other person.

Raise of status
Showing the other respect or reverence increases the other one’s status. Respect is a condition as well as a reciprocity.
The condition: I treat the other with respect if he treats me with respect.
The reciprocity: if someone treats me with respect, I will respect him in return.

When our status is being raised by another person, we will answer this by raising the status of this person as well. Raising somebody else’s status or to reduce the status of oneself fits in a long-term vision. The willingness to raise another person’s status will pay off in due time. Our status will be raised in return. At least, that’s what one will expect.

Respect and incomprehension
When showing respect or raising the other’s status, there can be a problem. There is no general rule that says how to do it. When one intents to be raising someone’s status, it does not necessarily also have to come across like this. And what one expects when being respected, does not have to be the same as what the other thinks he should do or say when intending to show respect. The pattern of expectations when it comes to status, perception and the actual experience provide sufficient room for misunderstandings between people. It can happen that someone does not feel fully respected, while the other person is convinced to have acted with respect.

Pay me some respect
Cultures and subcultures in the broadest sense of the word have enormous differences in expectation patterns and the actual behavior when wanting to show respect. For example, the elderly often say that “the young have no respect for the elderly”. But young people generally do show their respect, it’s just that they do this in a different way than the elderly expect or hope for. Conversely, young people also do not always feel treated with respect. They call this the generation gap.

What does that mean?
Respect is both cultural and personal. Yet every person needs to receive respect and is prepared to show others respect as well. This in connection with the possible return of a raise in status.

Imagine
A world where everyone treats each other and themselves with respect. A world where everybody shows mutual understanding and where people value each other.

How can you improve yourself?
Of course, every person is responsible for his own behavior. The only way to prevent problems is to explicitly discuss what is seen as a problem. Listen to each other and share expectations. To show understanding, if necessary with a slight reduction of one’s own status, can clear up a lot.

WE Modern Humans need love. Not only to receive, but also to give. Read the definition and learn how you can improve yourself.

Love definition
To define love: a basic emotion of deep acceptance and affection for another, a group or for one’s self. Attachment is essential, without it we won’t be able to handle life, although at the same time love makes us vulnerable. Affection can be explained quite easily, as it plays an important role in our social functioning. For example, without maternal love, the survival of a child would be much less likely: the care for offspring is therefore also found in many animal species.

Love for your family has to do with being attached and the need for protection. People are often moved by it, it is a feeling that often goes very deep.

Love refers to relationships between people. A group of people, animals, a certain activity but also objects can generate a feeling of it. Affection has to do with the choice of a partner, although this is often also culturally determined. Romantic relationships are characterized by specific behaviors and are often accompanied by certain emotions such as sexual feelings, being moved emotionally, a feeling of well-being and combinations of these.

What does that mean?
Love is a basic emotion of deep acceptance and affection. it makes us happy and gives a feeling of perfection and warm affection.

Imagine
A world in which everyone has the opportunity to feel Warmth, where people are full of it for each other.

How can you improve yourself?
If you feel Caring for something or someone, spend as much time together as possible. It is better to see someone face to face than to use digital communication. Communicate openly with each other, communication influences relationships.

If you want to experience more Warmth, increase your social contacts. Find a socially richer environment and be attentive to others.

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We Modern Humans

WE Modern Humans need hope. Hope makes life, it is essential for humans. Hope gives people a grip and it increases motivation in times of uncertainty. It also helps getting out of undesirable situations.

Hope definition
To define hope: Hope is the uncertain and sometimes unrealistic expectation that a certain desired event will happen.

There are two opposites of hope:
• Despair if the probability of the desired event seems to have passed, or fear if the (uncertain) expectation concerns an undesirable event.
• False hope if the expectation is entirely based on fantasy or on an event with a negligible chance of becoming reality.

Hopeless
When you are hopeless, it feels like powerlessness and this is disheartening. Your emotional state changes and the hopelessness can even lead to depression. A hopelessly romantic person is a person who has romantic notions. He or she can also be described as a dreamer, idealists or sentimentalist.

Hope can be passive, like a wish, but hope can also be active. In the latter case, the chance of the desired event to actually take place is increased by personal efforts. The basis of hope is that you want something, but you have little to no influence yourself. If you hope for something and then this fails to come true, disappointment arises.

What does that mean?
Hope is something that everyone has, to a greater or lesser extent. It indicates that someone cannot fully control his circumstances.

Imagine
A world where everyone’s hope is realistic. Outcomes will improve and disappointments do not hit so hard.

How can you improve yourself?
Having hope is not a bad thing, as long as you stay realistic. Avoid false hope, false hope is not realistic. If your hope does not become reality, you will have to accept that. In certain situations, hope can offer a way out and increase motivation and determine direction in one’s life.

WE Modern Humans feel the need to be happy, to have hopes and things to look forward to. This can make us feel happy. But also being together or attending a party can make us happy. An achieved goal can also contribute to our happiness.

Happiness definition
To define happiness: being happy is a state of mind that you experience. The feeling of Pleasure often originates from the absence of frustration, depression, feeling overworked, anger or sadness.

The moment you experience happiness, you usually live in the ‘now’. Pleasure is being satisfied with current living conditions. This can spark various positive emotions, such as joy, peacefulness, relaxation and cheerfulness.

What does that mean?
Nothing is as nice as experiencing happiness without the distraction of unpleasant feelings.

Imagine
A world where everybody shares the feeling of being joyful and happy.

How can you improve yourself?
Movement and happiness are connected with each other. A simple walk can make all the difference in how you feel. That the body has an influence on your state of mind and therefore also in experiencing Joy, we also see in the use of power pose: Amy Cuddy (Harvard Business School), Dana Carney and Andy Yap (Columbia University) have conducted an experiment on the extent to which body language influences a person’s feelings, behavior and hormone level. They claim that adopting certain body postures makes us immediately happier and more alert. Physically it is sufficient to positively change the chemistry of your brain by means of a power pose.

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We Modern Humans

WE Modern Humans have empathy towards each other. Compassion is a good basis for healthy relationships. The word empathy is derived from the Greek word ἐμπάθεια (empatheia), in other words, sympathy.

Empathy definition
To define empathy: Having Compassion is the ability to sympathize with the situation and feelings of others.

Empathy deals with the degree to which someone can relate to his own emotions, to recognize these emotions in himself and in others. Also if someone can express these emotions and act upon these emotions, plays a role. People who are sufficiently emphatic know themselves on the emotional level and can level emotionally with others, as they are aware of themselves and of others so they can make friends.

Being able to imagine oneself in somebody else’s situation and being able to understand the emotions of others, contributes to the communication with fellow humans. Without empathy, conversations might be based on misunderstandings or there can arise differences of opinion. Compassion helps to understand verbal and non-verbal messages from others.

If someone is less empathic, it doesn’t necessary mean that this person doesn’t try to feel someone else’s emotions, because this is something every human does. For a less empathic person it is more difficult to sense someone else’s emotions and understand what’s going on in the other person’s head. This might result in misinterpretation of the other person’s feelings, as the less empathic person makes assumptions based on his own feelings.

What does that mean?
Empathy means that someone can connect oneself to the situation and feelings of another. This does not necessarily mean that someone shares or agrees with the feelings of this other person.

Imagine
A world where everyone can imagine oneself in the situation of another.

How can you improve yourself?
Every person has empathy, but it is a quality that you can keep on developing. Know that you are not alone in the world. Take a good look at the people around you and ask yourself what is going on inside these people and then act upon this.

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We Modern Humans

WE Modern Humans need compassion. We can relate to and empathize with the situation of others, but we also expect others to relate and empathise with us. It’s nice to have the feeling that others understand what is going with you, but it is also fulfilling to support another in his situation. As you can read, compassion is a two-way emotion, a need that is given and received back and forth.

Compassion definition
To define compassion: compassion is offering others understanding, support and kindness when they make mistakes or experience a setback.

If you do not realize it when someone is having a hard time, you do not feel compassion. Thus, you first need to be touched by the suffering of someone else before you respond to his pain. As soon as you respond, you feel warmth, affection and the need to help or support the other.

You can also feel compassion towards yourself. You look at yourself in the same way as you would at another when you experience a difficult time, when you fail or when there is something that you do not like about yourself.

What does that mean?
It’s nice when others understand what is going on with you, but also to support someone if his situation asks for it.

Imagine
A world where everyone can imagine oneself in the situation of another and offer support and understanding when needed.

How can you improve yourself?
Compassion towards others: once you show compassion to someone, stay patient. Sometimes this can be difficult, as certain situations can go on for a long time.

Compassion towards yourself: the important thing here is to accept yourself the way you are. For example, say to yourself “if I fail or if something does not suit me, the first step is to accept that I’m having a hard time”. Ask yourself how you can comfort yourself and how to take care of yourself in this situation. Instead of ruthlessly judging and criticizing yourself, comprehend your own mistakes and flaws.

Of course you can try to change yourself to become happier [link] and healthier [link], but you will do that because you care about yourself; not because you think you are worthless and unacceptable.

WE Modern Humans need each other for support. Supporting each other works both ways: offering support, giving help and receiving it.

Support definition
To define support: To help others by offering backup. Support can be given in various areas and will help the other person in continuing or moving along with what he needs help with.

There are several kinds of support:
• Social support
Receiving and providing support through the social network. ‘I have been supported, with a little help from my friends’ is an expression you often come across. The people we can count on for support if we need this, are important in difficult or problematic situations. The support is often offered by an unexpected source.
• Emotional support
Emotional support is about letting know that you care about the other. Giving warmth and letting know that you are there and value the other, will boost this person’s self-confidence. You offer empathy, involvement, affection, love, trust, acceptance and encouragement.
• Tangible support
Tangible support is providing financial support, material goods or services. The other person is helped in a direct and concrete way.
• Informative support
This kind of support is about providing advice, guidance, suggestions or other useful information. The content of the information will help others to solve problems.
• Support groups
Support groups give someone the feeling that they belong somewhere or that they are part of a group. This is, for example, when participating in shared social activities where you can count on mutual support.

What does that mean?
As soon as you are stuck, support from others will get you the tools, insights and facilitations to make something that seemed impossible, possible.

Imagine
A world where everyone supports and facilitates each other. The world will become a lot more bearable for everyone.

How can you improve yourself?
Be aware that you cannot do everything yourself. Look at the possibilities to receive support. Support works both ways, so also provide support to others.

As soon as someone gets stuck, you can offer him help to get things done easier. Also providing available tools, insights and facilities help to make things possible.

To receive support also has to do with the subjective expectation of the recipient. The received support relates more to the specific supportive actions undertaken by the others. Another form is support groups such as friends, colleagues and family members. Functional support groups can consist, for example, of friends, colleagues and like-minded people.