How does one think less emotionally and more logically?

[Ambivalent1]

?

 

[Square251]

Well the first step I think should be realizing when you do it. Self-awareness. Remember the signs you feel when you start to think that way, then just try not to take any severe decisions during that time. It's definitely easier said than done but the mind is like a muscle sometimes. With consistent training, you'll be capable of things you've never even realized were possible.

 

[jorheslen428]

I highly recommend DBT for this. It's all about being mindful of your thoughts and feelings and learning to regulate to a place where you can then think rationally.

 

[Linda]

You throw out all your existing DNA and get a new batch. How people think is determined, to a very large extent, by their DNA. (For example, I have always tended to think logically it just comes naturally - and can usually set emotions aside. That's obvious from the posts I make.) So you probably won't be able to make fundamental changes to the way you think. However, if you practice, you may be able to make some changes. I'm no expert on this topic, but perhaps you could think about some of the issues you have been thinking about, try to figure out why you thought about them the way you did, and then consider other ways in which it would have been possible to think about them. It may be easier if you start with fairly, unimportant issues, where the stakes are not high. That sort of introspection may give you some clues about how you can introduce a bit more logic and rationality into your thinking. Good luck.

 

[SexyIncél]

I need more info, what it means for you to think emotionally

For example, do you frequently suffer from fight or flight? That'd kill anyone's ability to think things through

From what I hear, logic is the servant of emotions. So conceivably, strong emotions may fuel strong logic. Your emotions must cry out for a powerful tool to implement its demands. Because in this shitty universe, every little thing is often hard to achieve

 

[Ambivalent1]

I need more info, what it means for you to think emotionally

For example, do you frequently suffer from fight or flight? That'd kill anyone's ability to think things through

From what I hear, logic is the servant of emotions. So conceivably, strong emotions may fuel strong logic. Your emotions must cry out for a powerful tool to implement its demands. Because in this shitty universe, every little thing is often hard to achieve

I have PTSD so I'm always in fight or flight.

 

[SexyIncél]

I have PTSD so I'm always in fight or flight.

Ahh ok. Do you know if there's any root causes of it? (If you posted on it before, a handy link would suffice, to not waste your time!)

So hopefully attacking the root causes would solve the emotion vs logic problem

 

[macrocosm]

Training, lots of training. Months or years or effort to train your mind. Not easy but doable

 

[Ambivalent1]

Ahh ok. Do you know if there's any root causes of it? (If you posted on it before, a handy link would suffice, to not waste your time!)

So hopefully attacking the root causes would solve the emotion vs logic problem

Childhood trauma

 

[Coldpizza22]

I think logically a lot, but most people don't understand it well, they're more emotional and get angry. It's not such a good thing, but it has it's advantages.

 

[Ambivalent1]

I think logically a lot, but most people don't understand it well, they're more emotional and get angry. It's not such a good thing, but it has it's advantages.

How do you deal with unreasonable people?

 

[Coldpizza22]

How do you deal with unreasonable people?

Argue or just don't engage more than I have to. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

 

[Ambivalent1]

Argue or just don't engage more than I have to. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

Yeah I'm learning to ignore troublesome people. But then they get madder

 

[Coldpizza22]

Yeah I'm learning to ignore troublesome people. But then they get madder

You can figure out more about yourself with stuff like MBTI types, it's a little bit of a pseudo science, but still interesting. You can also type other people from their behavior. Most people fit in one of the general 16 types depending on what cognitive functions they use when interacting and solving problems.

This is is also kinda related, how emotions affect society and the spread of information and how AI just makes a massive amount of informational garbage and it makes people feel good. Here it's explained in the field of science and technology, but it's also happening in other fields like politics.
And real scientific information gets drowned. Why emotions matter more than facts (to most people):

 

[jonghyun]

Like what others said it takes a long time to train yourself to do this. I trained myself to some extent so I can offer some advice perhaps. I think a lot of times you can think logically about a decision by writing it out on a piece of paper and then listing the consequences, and then giving each consequence a thought of like 'how likely is this to happen? Am i right in thinking this?' And then, 'what can i do to mitigate this, or not let this consequence happen? What will i do if this happens?' And this sort of puts your mind in a logical thinking framework. Also being self aware (you have a feeling, and you know why you feel it and what causes it) requires basic logical thinking. You can start to think more logically by taking a step back and pausing whenever you want to say/do something or react in a certain way and think 'what will happen if i do this?' 'Is this the best option in the current situation?' Whereas an emotional thinker will react how they feel in the moment without giving much thought to how their actions will be received