Thinking Too Much Hinders Happiness

Thinking too much often causes mental overload that hinders the achievement of happiness. This happens especially when the thoughts, ideas and reflections are of poor quality, harmful and toxic and that poison self-esteem, hopes and future plans. There is nothing more beneficial to one’s well-being than cultivating a more relaxed, peaceful and centered mind.

The mind is a tireless machine. Neuroscientists claim that we average about thirty thousand thoughts a day and about 80% of them are of absolutely no use. These are simple repetitive and ruminating ideas, evoked memories and, in essence, cognitive processes that do not offer particular benefits.

As we all know, however, the flow of ideas, evaluations, memories and phrases can often turn into a shower of poisoned darts. States that increase the discomfort and that confine us in spaces of psychological malaise. The most important aspect is not the quantity of thoughts generated, but rather their quality. Let’s see, below, why thinking too much hinders happiness.

Thinking too much exhausts the brain

When an athlete prepares for a competition, he knows that the part of the body he must keep in check is the brain. Thinking too much could impact performance or even make mistakes. The best strategy to adopt in situations where you feel nervous or anxious is to be centered, calm and focused on the goal.

Thought, like most cognitive processes, is located in the frontal lobe. It is in this area that we plan, compare information, make inferences, reflections and analyzes.

Well, each of these processes requires a great deal of energy. It is therefore necessary to know when is the right time to activate them and when it is better to “let go” and simply trust.

The brain in the days of multitasking

Most athletes over the course of their careers learn the importance of training the mind, taming thoughts and focusing attention on a goal. However, achieving such precise control of cognitive processes is by no means easy in an age dominated by multitasking.

• Cognitive psychologists like David. And Mayer of the University of Manchester say that while the brain is able to engage in several activities at the same time, it still has limitations.

• Daily habits such as driving while listening to the radio, thinking about what we will have to do at work or the next day, what we forgot to do and what we should have done, generate a lot of mental stress.

• Stress over time ends up affecting our mood.

• Thinking too much, all the time, not only produces states of severe mental exhaustion, but creates, whether you like it or not, an inefficient brain.

The most efficient brains and their curious neurological activity

We are probably led to think that people who are extraordinarily skilled at something have more active brains. In reality, the issue is not a more active mind, but rather a more effective mental approach. Therefore, it is not a question of “thinking more” but of “thinking better”, of generating more productive, direct and useful thoughts.

Well, it is necessary to point out an interesting aspect. On average, people with higher IQs do not show specifically more “effective” thoughts.

More frequently, they apply a way of thinking called a tree. That is, one idea leads to another, a doubt leads them to formulate different hypotheses and from them new reformulations …

This is why they tend to take longer to formulate an answer, as thinking more than necessary often causes them anxiety and discomfort.

Thinking less is better to be happy

Thinking well equals living better. However, how to train attention and tame a mind used to tirelessly feeding on fears and problems? Albert Ellis, father of rational emotional therapy, stated in his works that what has a strong impact on us is not the events, but the way we interpret them.

The secret, therefore, is to be kinder to yourself, to give a different value to things, to allow the mind to slow down and to rest every now and then. In this regard, let’s take a look at some strategies.

Four strategies to think less

• Cognitive psychologists remind us that it is possible to change our mood by changing our inner dialogue. Loving yourself more, therefore, helps to reduce incessant thoughts. We must eliminate the negativity, the weight of fear, the limits of anxiety.

• Managing the emotional sphere is another strategy that can prove useful. We can convince ourselves that we are safe, that we are well, that there are no imminent dangers that can harm us. You have to work on inner calm.

• Likewise, few practices such as mindfulness are capable of reducing the voice of an overactive mind. It helps us focus on the here and now, an essential resource for reducing worry overload.

• There is a time to think and a time to let go. In some moments, reflections, analyzes, the search for alternatives and inference are necessary. All of these processes lead to better decisions. However, spending too much time on them runs the risk of being counterproductive. We remember that there are moments to think, but also moments to let go …

In summary, it is possible to achieve greater well-being and happiness by keeping thoughts and their quality under control. Achieving this goal is not easy at all, at least it is not if we are conditioned by rigid mental schemes such as “I must”, “what if ..?”, “I should”, “it would be better if …”.

Letting go, enjoying the moment, dodging worries and letting go is an art that we should practice day in and day out.