Think it over

Recently I was introduced to the very pleasing Psychology 101-ish term, “need for cognition.” Or maybe I was introduced to it years ago, when I took Psychology 101, and had forgotten. Anyway, it basically means this: People who have a high “need for cognition” like to think, and those who don’t, don’t. I liked this because of course I think of myself, and my readers, as people with a high need for cognition.

Then I started thinking about it.

Do people really self-identify as not liking to think? There’s a lot of evidence — I think — to support the contention that many people do not, in fact, like to think. That’s why gossip and shopping tips are more popular than long investigations of complex topics.

But how, exactly, do psych researchers figure out who are the people who don’t like to think? Who would say, “I prefer to think as little as possible.”

I found this quiz, which appears to be designed to measure need for cognition.

The first item is: “I would prefer simple to complex problems.”  You’re supposed to rate to what degree this statement is characteristic of you, the quiz-taker.

This gave me pause. For one thing, if I know what this quiz is about, and I see myself as a person who likes to think, I know what the “right” answer is. Looking at the list, the “right” answer is fairly obvious in almost all cases. Other statements are: “Thinking is not my idea of fun,” and “The notion of thinking abstractly appeals to me.”

I’ll tell you what I think. I think this quiz measure the degree to which you want to be perceived, or maybe even perceive yourself, as a person who likes to think. Which is quite a different thing than being a person who really does like to think.

For another thing, while I see myself as a  person who likes to think, the fact of the matter is — if I really think about it —  I’m not sure that the “right” answers would really be honest. I know I’m supposed to say I prefer complex problems to simple problems. But come on. I’d prefer no problems at all! I’ve got plenty of problems to deal with, every week, and if I could make the problem-barrage simpler, I’m pretty sure I would.

But maybe the truth is that this is only what I think! Maybe the truth is, while I would claim that I’d prefer to cut down on the problems, my actual behavior is a morass of problem-creation, and when I don’t have enough problems to think about, I go searching for more. Without even thinking about it! After all, one thing I do recall from Psychology 101 is that there’s often a disconnect between what individuals say, and what they do.

So what does it all mean? I’m not sure. I need — possibly I really and truly need — to think about it some it more.