{"id":596,"date":"2019-07-23T11:00:53","date_gmt":"2019-07-23T15:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=596"},"modified":"2022-04-12T22:06:51","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T02:06:51","slug":"convergent-vs-divergent-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/convergent-vs-divergent-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"Convergent vs Divergent Thinking: Which Is Better?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>IQ and intelligence are one thing. But how you apply this power is just as important. There are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/two-types-of-thinking\/\">two types of thinking<\/a> &#8211; convergent thinking, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/contrarian-thinking\/\">divergent thinking<\/a>. Which one is better? Which one leads to more long-term success? Learn more about divergent vs convergent thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Convergent vs Divergent Thinking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Gladwell argues there are two types of thinking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Convergent thinking<\/strong> happens when you choose an answer from a list of possibilities. This is the kind of thinking measured by IQ tests.<\/li><li><strong>Divergent thinking<\/strong> is the ability to consider multiple possibilities and think creatively.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While convergent thinking is the type most often measured by grades and test scores, Gladwell argues that beyond a certain point of intelligence, divergent thinking is more important for success.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What is divergent thinking?<\/strong> A test of divergent thinking might ask:&nbsp; \u201cHow many uses can you think of for a brick?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is an answer from a student who excels in divergent thinking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\u201cTo smash a store window in a protest. To build a cathedral. To tie down birthday balloons&#8230;\u201d&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is an answer from a student with one of the highest IQs in his school:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>\u201cBuilding things, throwing.\u201d<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The second student might have a higher intelligence through certain tests, <strong>but the first demonstrates creativity beyond the functional.<\/strong> He\u2019s the more likely of the two to win a Nobel Prize or found a revolutionary business. This is the power of divergent vs convergent thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Gladwell isn\u2019t explicit about tying this into the book\u2019s themes of external factors influencing success. We take this section as a suggestion that schools and employers may have too narrow a view of intelligence. As a result, many divergent thinkers who don\u2019t test as well on convergent tests are deprived of an opportunity to thrive.)<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>IQ and intelligence are one thing. But how you apply this power is just as important. There are two types of thinking &#8211; convergent thinking, and divergent thinking. Which one is better? Which one leads to more long-term success? Learn more about divergent vs convergent thinking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,9],"tags":[32],"class_list":["post-596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-psychology","tag-outliers","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Convergent vs Divergent Thinking: Which Is Better? - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are two types of thinking\u2014convergent and divergent. 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