14/07/2021
Be flexible in your thinking! 💭
Cognitive flexibility is the ability to adapt our thoughts and behaviours according to our surroundings. This is an important quality as it is associated with a higher resistance to negative life events and stress (aka resilience) and improved overall well-being.
The flexibility of our thinking depends on three factors:
👉Awareness - being alert in situations and considering multiple variables simultaneously
👉Adaptability - the ability to change reactions to suit a different situation
👉Confidence - knowledge and belief in one’s own capability to exert control in given situations and react accordingly to the most recent information
References:
Dajani, D. R., & Uddin, L. Q. (2015). Demystifying cognitive flexibility: Implications for clinical and developmental neuroscience. Trends in neurosciences, 38(9), 571-578.
Martin, M. M., & Rubin, R. B. (1995). A new measure of cognitive flexibility. Psychological Reports, 76(2), 623-626.