Mindstuck

People get “mindstuck” when their thinking becomes rigid due to mental inflexibility or overwhelm.

If you want to influence people to change their minds, it helps to know why so often they don’t. Even when people possess knowledge that should cause them to change their minds — and even when they want to adopt a new view or opinion — they can find it difficult. This state of being “mindstuck” doesn’t reflect any lack of intelligence or insight, but rather mental inflexibility — rigidity in thinking that can obstruct good decision-making. Being exposed to an overwhelming volume of information, as people are today, can exacerbate this condition and lead individuals to rely on their gut instinct or tribal thinking.

In today’s hyper-polarized world, stubborn adherence to pre-existing opinions has become endemic. And as a result, the ability to influence others’ decision-making has become an increasingly sought-after skill.

The human brain has two modes of thinking: slow and logical, and fast and instinctive.

Initial responses and ideas become rigid due to the way the brain functions, which is less reason-based than many people think. The brain has two primary...