Psychologist Says 1 Habit Dulls Minds as 2022-2023 Studies Show Success Narrows Thinking
Updated
Updated · Forbes · Jul 30
Psychologist Says 1 Habit Dulls Minds as 2022-2023 Studies Show Success Narrows Thinking
2 articles · Updated · Forbes · Jul 30
Summary
A psychologist argues the bigger threat to mental sharpness is not neglect but “running on proven moves” — reusing solutions that already work until original thinking fades.
Chess experiments and a 2022 Frontiers in Psychology study suggest the trap builds gradually: as familiar methods keep succeeding, people stop searching for better answers without noticing.
That same fluency can inflate understanding. A 2023 Judgment and Decision Making study found explaining a zipper lowered confidence in unrelated topics, while a 2023 Applied Cognitive Psychology study showed even skimming search snippets can boost false confidence.
Learning research points to the antidote: a 2022 review found retrieval practice beats rereading, and a 2023 review said guessing before instruction often improves learning if the correct answer follows.
The article says expertise still depends on proven moves, but mental growth now comes from situations where the usual repertoire fails and being wrong is still possible.