Why We Avoid Deep Thinking (And Why We Shouldn't)

In a famous experiment, 47% of people chose to give themselves electric shocks rather than sit alone with their thoughts for just 15 minutes. What does this say about our relationship with deep thinking?

When Michael Pollan ventured into a New Mexico cave to understand consciousness, he discovered what real meditation is made of. "The recipe was simpler than I would have imagined," he writes: "To transcend the self, force yourself to be alone with it long enough to get so bored and exhausted that you are happy to let it go."

The Discomfort of Deep Thought

We live in an age that seems designed to prevent contemplation. Smartphone notifications ping every few minutes. Social media feeds scroll endlessly. The news cycle moves at breakneck speed. We've somehow convinced ourselves that thinking time is unproductive time.

Arthur Brooks compares deep thinking to exercise: we avoid it because of short-term discomfort, but we're missing the bigger payoff. Just as we schedule workouts to stay physically fit, we need to schedule contemplation to stay mentally sharp.

This avoidance isn't just personal—it's cultural. In a society that values quick answers and instant gratification, sitting with difficult questions without immediate solutions feels almost subversive. Yet paradoxically, as our problems become more complex, our need for deep thought becomes more urgent.

Making Deep Thinking a Habit

So how do we cultivate contemplation in a distracted world? Brooks offers practical strategies that treat deep thinking like any other skill worth developing.

First, put it on your calendar. Just as you wouldn't skip the gym without planning, don't skip thinking time without intention. Even 15-20 minutes of device-free walking or meditation can create space for meaningful reflection.

Second, abandon small talk. Instead of "How's it going?" try asking "What's something that's changed your thinking recently?" These "big talk" conversations, as Brooks calls them, create opportunities for the kind of exchanges that stretch our minds.

Third, cultivate what Zen practitioners call "don't-know mind." As Pollan discovered in that New Mexico cave, sometimes the goal isn't to find answers but to sit comfortably with questions. This tolerance for uncertainty might be one of our most valuable cognitive skills.

The AI Paradox

Here's where things get interesting: as artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, the value of uniquely human thinking actually increases. AI excels at pattern recognition and information processing, but complex ethical reasoning, creative insight, and wisdom remain distinctly human domains.

Yet there's a concerning flip side. Some researchers worry about "de-skilling"—the gradual loss of cognitive abilities as we outsource more thinking to machines. Just as GPS navigation has weakened our sense of direction, could AI dependence weaken our capacity for deep thought?

Philosopher Agnes Callard suggests the antidote isn't more profundity but better communication. Instead of trying to sound deep, we should focus on genuine curiosity about the things that actually puzzle us.

The Contemplation Economy

Perhaps we're witnessing the emergence of what we might call a "contemplation economy"—where the ability to think deeply becomes increasingly valuable. In a world flooded with information, the skill of turning data into wisdom, of asking better questions rather than just finding faster answers, becomes a competitive advantage.

This shift requires us to rethink productivity itself. What if the most productive thing you could do today wasn't checking another email but spending 20 minutes wrestling with a question that has no easy answer? What if the breakthrough your team needs comes not from another brainstorming session but from someone taking a long, thoughtful walk?

Today's challenge: Schedule 15 minutes of device-free thinking time. Sit with a question that matters to you. Don't try to solve it—just be with it. What emerges when you stop running from the discomfort of not knowing?