Cherry Trees and Poptarts

I have heard three references to "overthinking" in the past week or so.

One of them was an article listing ten ways "you can know if you are an overthinker".

As I read them, though, two distinct patterns of cognition were used to define "overthinking".  The first was actual, decent thought, including attention to detail. 

The second was not thinking at all, but emotional cognition, such as hypochondria.

I think this differentiation is important for Outliers, and others, to understand.  Thinking thoroughly, using logic and reason, paying attention to detail or to the big picture, is not overthinking.  If the thoughts are purposeful, deliberate, and work toward understanding or problem solving or entertainment, that is rational thought.

The other side of the coin, emotional cognition, is when the emotions run the show and the brain frantically tries to keep the emotions at bay OR assists in their unraveling. Obsessive thoughts are emotional cognition--there is no purpose in thinking them except to try to reduce anxiety.

Hypochondria is emotional cognition--fear of the state of one's health eliminates the ability to think logically.  The sniffles are not ebola.

Ruminating over a conversation, replaying the scene over and over (generally berating oneself or stoking the flames of anger against another) is emotional cognition.  The point of rumination is not to solve a problem or correct a situation but serve only to make the thinker miserable.

There is another subset of "overthinking", which is pedantic thinking, which is onerous and serves no purpose.  Correcting to the exact time of the shuttle launch is purposeful--the difference between, say, 1300 and 1304 is a biggie when launching a shuttle.

However, if someone says "It's about 1pm, we should get lunch." and one can't help but say "No, it's 1:04" to stave off the anxiety of "not quite right information" , this is onerous.  It actually is focusing on the bark of a tree instead of trying to evade the forest fire.  The reasons for this are often youth (young children are often fascinated by the idea of exactness...and especially correcting adults) or an anxiety with ambivalence, requiring one to correct "generally correct but not exact" whilst losing the point of the conversation.


Back to overthinking.....



Now, here is the thing: our society is incredibly anti-intellectual.  Thinking deeply and thoroughly is very difficult for many (just like running a marathon is very difficult for myself, so this is not meant as a criticism unless it is deliberate).  When a non-intellectual (NI) hears an intellectual plumb the depths of a topic, perhaps considering the repercussions of a new mathematical concept or the tuning of an instrument or forgiving one's enemy, the non-intellectual sees the thought process as "overthinking"--they do not feel the need for that much thinking, so they chide those who do think. 

Now, sometimes this is meant with the best of intentions.  The NI is earnestly trying to ease the road for the thinker.  The much thinking for the NI would be wearying and angst-producing.  They skim what they need from the top of their existence and let the rest flow by.  If the thinker is actually morosing or ruminating or getting wrapped around the axle, the NI is actually being wise, if not precise, in telling the intellectual to stop.

Sometimes, of course, the intention is not so nice.  The NI might feel threatened or annoyed or is trying to be snarky.

Honestly, though, most of the time it is nothing more than an NI not understanding the actual fun and use of deep, deliberate thinking and are trying to be a good friend.  We have to be patient with the heart of those who do not understand, as they have their own strengths that we might not understand.  We also have to understand when it is useful to share:  it is reasonable to plumb the depths of a topic when, for example, discussing a project with fellow co-workers.  It is not useful when someone says "I have to leave in 5 minutes".  There is a time and a place to SHARE, as well as people who want also to think and dive deeply into a conversation.  But there are some who really aren't into deep thought.

However, let me encourage you who might feel the need to hide your good, thorough, rational thinking.  It does not matter how much time purposeful thinking takes or how many words or ideas that follow.  Thinking with a purpose is not a cherry PopTart--instantly ready and quickly consumed.  It is planting a cherry tree next to a wheat field, taking time and patience, monitoring the "field of thought" for weeds of irrationality, non-productive emotion (emotion is important for a well rounded mind, but it must be in good regulation so it does not spin the mind up into knots of uselessness).  Eventually the cherries of cognition and the wheat of reason ripen to usefulness to be used for a solution:  a well done, healthy, cherry pie.

My point is this:  we do have to analyze our thought processes to ensure that we are not ruminating, or indulging in emotional cognition, or being pedantic.  However, if we are thinking calmly and clearly, trying to understand the mysteries of the universe instead of keeping track of movie stars or car colors, we are not overthinking.  We are thinking, and we don't need to be ashamed of that.