Last update: December 03, 2016
Have you ever wondered why some people are unable to find solutions to problems and others, on the other hand, adapt easily to different situations?
The answer lies in the fact that people relate to each other differently depending on their expectations, past experiences, values ​​and personal emotional states. In this sense, flexible people interact better with others and in a healthier way.
Cognitive rigidity is a characteristic of people who do not dare to change their opinion and are unable to accept new alternative ideas. On the contrary, there are people with a critical, open mind and who recognize change. According to psychologist Walter Riso, the strength of flexible thinking lies in the fact that, despite obstacles, it allows you to reinvent yourself and be flexible to life events without complaining.
Riso argues that a person with a critical, fair and integral attitude has an open and healthy lifestyle, generates less stress, more happiness and less violence. Not only will he live better, but he will also contribute to the well-being of his community
Stiff people are more likely to develop depression
Rigid-minded people only select what is in line with their thoughts and ignore contradicting information. They do not take into account the nuances, so they insist on sticking to their opinions, what they say or do to the extreme, even the evidence proves that they are wrong. They come to lie, insult and despise in order to be right and not succumb to the uncertainty that would come from being wrong.
Rigid and absolutist minds experience changes as a weakness and prefer to avoid anything that disagrees with their thinking, for this reason. they are at risk of developing certain disorders, such as depression. These people draw conclusions without having enough information and feel compelled to act, in a sense, without deepening or listening to the opinion of their opponents.
They are people who think that whoever is not on their side or does not think like them is against them. This way of thinking is fueled by the fear of finding out that they are wrong and realizing that their life is based on false beliefs. They have an extreme fear of losing the confidence of leaders, of the wisest or most lucid, of not being able or prepared to face the demands that a change entails.
The power of flexible minds
Flexible-minded people stand out because they change their mindset in a gradual and identifiable way. They are balanced, fair, respectful of others and always try to avoid exclusion. They do not waver in the face of superficial and unconscious thoughts that usually lead to a spiral of negativity and suffering.
Flexible people try to free themselves from obligations and "shoulds", from irrational automatisms that feed on inflexible requests to themselves, to others, to the world in general. They reject any form of individual authoritarianism or totalitarianism.
Neuroscience tells us that we can change mindsets by creating new neuronal connections in the brain by strengthening them with our thinking. For this reason, the real change in mentality resides in the brain and in the neurons we use to think and behave in certain ways.
As a result, flexible minds see life from different angles, accepting the fact that sometimes they can be wrong, instead rigid minds see their thinking pattern as the one and only.
We were all wrong in judging a person at first impression and this has become one of our best friends. If this person continued to think about the opinion we initially had of her, she would use a rigid and absolutist way of thinking that would not correspond to the reality of the present.
Mentally rigid people find it difficult to forgive and accept their responsibility or part of the blame in problems, so they can only see falsehoods where there are second chances.
