The world’s best tacticians are those who have a long view. They all have one thing in common: They are all many steps ahead of their competition in their respective fields.
Thinking ahead is a skill that we all possess. For most people, thinking ahead at least some of the time is essential to their ability to operate as a human being. You’ve undoubtedly thought about what you’ll do tonight and how you’ll get home. Intelligence is characterised by the ability to plan ahead. Without it, we’d be like a plant or a baby, unable to think for ourselves.
In dealing with others, how important is it to think ahead? A recent study out of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine addresses this topic. In our interactions with other individuals, we may see how far ahead of ourselves we think.
Theory of thought
There are too many other people in the world, and that’s a problem. Those folks, in contrast to you (of course! ), are frequently unpredictable, self-sufficient, and utterly unintelligible. The only way we can know what they’re thinking or planning is to get inside their heads, which is impossible. Because we are a social creature, it is no wonder that we have developed methods for determining what other people are thinking.
Putting yourself in another person’s shoes is a skill that most of us possess. People with autism may not be able to do this to varied degrees. We develop a theory of mind as we get older. At 15 months old, children begin to understand that other individuals have their own mental lives—their own desires, feelings, and so on—but they still have a hard time adapting and compensating for it. If a two-year-old sees someone in need, he or she is likely to step in and provide their favourite toy or other item of comfort. They are able to identify that someone has their own sentiments, but they are unable to think about what the other person might want.
It’s safe to say that the majority of people have a well developed theory of mind. As an illustration, consider the following: Suppose we’re discussing something and you see me glance at the clock while we’re talking. What are the first things that come to mind? Are you trying to bore me? Is there anywhere I have to be right now? Is there a spider on the clock, or is it just a decoration? Those who “overthink” things are more likely to get sucked into this intricate game of speculative theory of mind than those who do not. As with most things, a good mental habit can become harmful if it is overused.
Always a step ahead of the game
According to the findings of the Na et al. study, we use this theory of mind when trying to influence or convince others. The Mount Sinai researchers used a brain scanner to conduct a “ultimatum game” with 48 individuals. They were split up into groups of four and instructed to divide up $20 among themselves. It was possible to play a version of the game with no rules at all. They could bargain, negotiate, manipulate, and haggle to their heart’s content.
The research found two things:
People who think “two, three, or four steps ahead” of everyone else are the ones who come out on top in computer simulations of the games. The outcomes would have been entirely different if everyone had simply considered the immediate or reactionary consequences of their actions instead of planning further forward.
Second, the brain scans demonstrated that the decisions made during the talks were associated by activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Decisions made in this area of the brain are often forward-thinking. That being said, manipulating others in terms of neurophysiology is a lot like any other strategy.
Every conversation is a chess match.
When D’Angelo uses the real world of drug dealing to explain how chess works, you know you’re in for a treat.’ We may now know why it works so well. According to Na et al., our brains activate in much the same manner as they do when we’re playing chess when we’re trying to influence or manipulate people.
To understand another person’s thoughts and actions, you must first know what they’re thinking or intending to do. It’s the scourge of all relationships and the root of all kinds of angst and strife. Why not try to do better next time? The benefits of chess are well-known, but may we add one more to the list: “makes you better at getting your own way”? Indeed, it’s time to put the chessboard back together.
Jonny Thomson is a philosophy professor at Oxford University. The title of his debut book is Mini Philosophy: A Small Book of Big Ideas, and he operates a successful Instagram account by the same name.
