{"id":55393,"date":"2021-11-25T21:40:13","date_gmt":"2021-11-26T01:40:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=55393"},"modified":"2021-12-04T22:03:05","modified_gmt":"2021-12-05T02:03:05","slug":"subjective-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/subjective-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"Subjective Thinking Versus Reality: What’s the Truth?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How common is subjective thinking? What can you do about it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don Miguel Ruiz and don Jose Ruiz<\/a>, the authors of The Fifth Agreement<\/a><\/em>, discuss the issue of subjective thinking. They assert that we perceive only a fraction of reality. This causes us to have wrong and often harmful beliefs about the world and ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more to learn about subjective thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Subjective Thinking Versus Reality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The authors\u2019 first point is that the world we perceive through our senses is only a subjective interpretation of a thin slice<\/a> of what actually exists in the world. They argue that the information our senses give us is heavily filtered and fabricated<\/strong>. For instance, our brains interpret a narrow band of radiation as \u201ccolor.\u201d  Without eyes\u2014and brains to interpret their signals\u2014colors would not exist; in a literal sense, they don\u2019t exist outside of us. We all engage in subjective thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, \u201creality,\u201d the authors explain, isn\u2019t perceived the same way by everyone who experiences it. Some of us are more sensitive to smells, see fewer colors, or can hear at higher frequencies. Plus, other creatures on our planet interpret the same world in very different ways\u2014bats, for example, \u201csee\u201d reality in a way that\u2019s so foreign to us that we can\u2019t accurately imagine it. In short, we can\u2019t assume that we all perceive the same world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortform Commentary: Magenta Doesn\u2019t Exist<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As the Ruizes say, the world we experience using our senses isn\u2019t an accurate portrayal of what\u2019s really out there. We often take our brains for granted and don’t realize we are engaging in subjective thinking. We aren’t aware how untrustworthy our brains are<\/strong>\u2014and that sometimes, they just make things up. You may have heard, for example, that the color magenta doesn\u2019t exist<\/a>. In the image below, you can see the frequencies and wavelengths of each of the visible colors (colors generally correspond to a particular wavelength of radiation). Magenta isn\u2019t there<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subjective thinking is at work. The reason we see magenta in our daily lives is that our brains are used to averaging the colors we see into a blend. Green and red, when seen together, become yellow because yellow is the average wavelength between green and red. When red and purple appear together, we should<\/em> see green\u2014it\u2019s the average wavelength between the two. But it doesn\u2019t \u201cmake sense\u201d for red and purple to mix into green, so our brains substitute \u201cmagenta.\u201d Essentially, we only see magenta because \u201cit looks right\u201d<\/a>\u2014not because it reflects reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Language Conveys Subjective Beliefs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Further, the naguals argue that our beliefs are also subjective\u2014and that, because we use language to describe those beliefs, our words carry preconceived notions about what is true, what is good, and what is bad.<\/strong> The naguals believe that, as a result, when we communicate with each other, we describe our subjective reality in subjective terms. Two people can hear the same words and interpret them differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Modern science supports the authors\u2019 claim that the language we use reflects and shapes our fundamental beliefs about the world. For example, linguistic researchers have discovered that people who speak different languages have different beliefs about blame and punishment in the case of accidents<\/a>. In this way, the specific words people use impact their beliefs about the situation\u2014just as the Ruizes describe.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the authors, even if words aren\u2019t universal and their meanings are variable, they do have a powerful effect on us. The words we use to describe ourselves, our environment, and the people around us set the tone of our perceived world. <\/strong>In short, the language we use dictates our beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: The segment of our personal language we use to describe ourselves or our world\u2014both vocally and internally\u2014is called \u201cself-talk,\u201d and it heavily <\/em>affects our mood<\/a>. People who use their internal voice to attack themselves are more likely to be depressed or anxious. When your internal voice keeps telling you, \u201cI\u2019m too stupid to do this,\u201d or, \u201cI\u2019m too ugly to be loved,\u201d you stop feeling hopeful about your future. As a result, you\u2019re less likely to invest in that future by taking care of yourself or focusing on long-term goals\u2014which, like the authors say, can profoundly impact your life.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belief Determines Happiness<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The naguals\u2019 point is largely that it\u2019s our <\/strong>belief<\/em><\/strong> that matters most<\/strong>\u2014how deeply we believe the things we \u201cknow\u201d informs how much power those beliefs have over us. This is particularly important given most of our beliefs come from our society; we don\u2019t choose<\/em> those, so much of our perception of reality<\/a> is out of our control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, a core point the authors make is that in most cases, societal standards, norms, and beliefs are both deeply unhealthy and totally fabricated.<\/strong> The benchmarks we use to determine who\u2019s good, bad, successful, unsuccessful are social constructs. In most cases, they\u2019re nonsense, and they only matter because we\u2019ve agreed they do. In short, the naguals suggest, we wouldn\u2019t feel<\/em> deficient if we weren\u2019t taught to believe<\/em> we\u2019re deficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But\u2014the naguals say\u2014just because we believed everything our culture taught us as we grew up, when we didn\u2019t have the capacity to doubt, doesn\u2019t mean we have to keep believing it now. If each of us lives in our own subjective reality, why not interpret that reality in a way that encourages us to be happy?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Positive Psychology<\/a>: Four Happiness-Killing Mindsets<\/strong>

The naguals don\u2019t explicitly state which<\/em> societally-advocated beliefs get in the way of our happiness, but positive psychologists (those who study happiness) identify four particularly damaging beliefs<\/a> that prevent us from being happy. Each one identifies a success condition that\u2019s impossible to achieve and ties our value or satisfaction to our ability to achieve it.

To be sustainably happy, positive psychologists say, we must discard the following beliefs:

Perfectionism: \u201cI can and should attain perfection.\u201d<\/strong> When you hold this belief, you attempt to meet unrealistic expectations<\/a> and intangible goals. You can\u2019t be happy unless you\u2019re perfect and consistently generate perfect results.

Social Comparison<\/a>: \u201cI must compare favorably to others.\u201d<\/strong> When you hold this belief, you compare your attributes to those of others and focus on the ways in which you fall short. You can\u2019t be happy when you\u2019re not the best.

Materialism: \u201cI\u2019m only worth as much as I have.\u201d<\/strong> When you hold this belief, you can\u2019t be happy because there\u2019s always more to accumulate. Worse, if you lose your possessions, you lose what makes you feel valuable, so you\u2019re always at risk.

Maximizing<\/a>: \u201cI can always do better.\u201d<\/strong> When you hold this belief, you can\u2019t enjoy what you have because it\u2019s inferior to what you could<\/em> have. There\u2019s always a better job, a more attractive partner, or a faster car.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We all are susceptible to subjective thinking, but when we are aware of it and strive to rise above it, we can get a better grasp on the truth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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