Day 14: The Pit Falls of Binary Thinking; Why All Or Nothing Thinking Can Be Detrimental
We are surrounded by information systems and theories that help us to understand complex systems in the world. These parcels of information help us to make decisions and plans for our lives. It makes sense, with so much information to process, we simplify and categorise the world into various dimensions. It's in this process we risk falling into the mental model of binary thinking where things in the world are either 'good' or 'bad', facts and statements are either true/false', other groups are either 'with' or 'without us'. The categories for applying binary thinking can be endless, with the defining aspect being we categorise a factor into one bucket or another, with no grey area in between. This can be dangerous for us living in diverse societies, and on a personal level can be harmful to our health and mental wellbeing.
The negative effects of binary thinking can create a dangerous climate. This is because it has the potential of causing isolation and polarisation between groups. Making quick judgement calls are often necessary in our day to day lives as we operate in busy complex ecosystems. However, if we over simplify a situation, we risk creating fragmentation and rifts between people who are different on face value but may hold the same values. This can lead to a lack of ownership and an "us vs them" mentality as well as a climate of rigidity and closed mindedness.
On a personal level, I've been working on being more open minded to my approach to my schedule and life. Identifying areas that I've held a binary mindset has allowed me to open up to new experiences and better my health and mental wellbeing
Some areas in my life that binary thinking has impacted me are:
Networking: I've been pleasantly surprised by the diversity and openness to collaboration from people I've met in online courses, meet ups and events. I've been held back in the past thinking, I'm not good enough to go to that professional event, or I don't know enough to share at a meet up. Yet, maybe I know more than a few people, or maybe I can learn from the other people there. There is a whole spectrum of benefits that can come out of being more open to new experiences.
Physical fitness: I've been guilty of missing a fitness class and therefore not exercising the entire day. I need to wait until tomorrow's schedule for the next gruelling class, right? This is a classic case of binary all or nothing thinking. Fitness and the act of exercising is simply moving our bodies around - and doesn't need to be done in a class. I could go for a walk around the suburb, stretch on my yoga mat or do some burpees or lunges at home. Importantly I've learnt to value these activities as much as the perceived value of a class, where we offload the responsibility of the exercise to an instructor.
Socialising: Adulting for me is constantly finding the balance of work, purpose and leisure in life. Unfortunately, often the leisure, or social aspect of life falls to the wayside. With schedules filled with meetings, responsibilities and family, it's not always possible to meet up with friends for a meal without planning 3 weeks ahead. Truth is, we can always send a message/ check-in/ call a friend while waiting for a bus. Even share a cool podcast or article that you've read. There are many ways to maintain a friendship without the necessity of meeting in person.
Nutrition: With diet culture on its usual full rampage, this one is a trap for many. We often categorise foods as 'good' and 'bad' which can lead to feelings of guilt or regret at the consumption of the 'bad' foods. But foods are just that, they are consumed for energy and sustenance. There is so much more to food than calories and perceived health. There are cultural factors and nostalgic factors and foods that feed your soul and make you happy. I've been at the mercy of binary thinking in the past and am still working through a more flexible approach to eating and listening to my body. We should feel comfortable to have what we feel like without the labels that we've absorbed.
In all these cases, the true danger to binary thinking and all or nothing thinking, is that if we don't get it perfect, then we give up on the entire thing.
We decide to bypass an entire event in case the contents are too difficult to understand and we don't know if we can provide any value, EVEN IF, we may learn something by showing up.
We can't make it to the gym? Then I'll sit here and keep my body stagnant, EVEN IF moving it a little is better than no movement at all.
We can't match up a time to meet with friends? Well then I won't bother reaching out and feel lonely and isolated, and watch people live life over the socials, EVEN IF a digital or short connection could be super beneficial for my sanity and sense of connection.
I ate that muffin for breakfast, so now the whole day needs to be a cheat day and I might as well have the fried chicken for dinner, EVEN IF I am super active and could make nutritious and balanced meals for subsequent meals and the muffin means nothing on the grand scheme of things.
The thing that has helped me overcome a lot of my all or nothing thinking is identifying when I only see one solution to a situation in my mind, and asking myself how else could I approach it? It's given me a new level of ownership and flexibility in my life, as well as given me the space to be okay with reality branching off from my expectations.
We all can deconstruct our thinking and move away from binary thought processes and decision making, to make better decisions for our health and mental wellbeing. Consider if there are any factors in your life you can approach with more curiosity, flexibility and courage.
