Brain Sweat Research Paper

A hot day, a workout, a nightmare, and the moments before a first date, all have something in common. The production of sweat. It is strange that sweat can be produced by these drastically different activities and moments, but, none the less, sweat is produced in each. Every action, situation, or time that a person sweats can be related to another time that a person sweats. Sweat is the single similarity between working out hard and laying in a bed all day eating cheetos. Furthermore, brain sweat can be produced in drastically different ways as well. Brain sweat is to the brain as sweat is to the body. Brain sweat and physical sweat are metaphorically parallel. For example, there are times when it is acceptable or even accomplishing to physically …show more content…
There is system 1 and system 2 thinking. System 1 thinking is the unconscious part of a person’s brain that is at work. An example would be, two plus two. A person does not have to consciously think about that math problem, for their brain, without conscious permission, probably filled in the blank; two plus two is four. (Kahneman) System two thinking, on the contrary, is conscious, deep, and abstract thinking. Derek Muller, the owner of the science show Veritasium, presents a problem to his audience of viewers and to people on the street that helps with the understanding of system one and system two thinking. This problem fools people the majority of the time. (Muller) The problem is this: “A bat and ball cost $1.10. The bat costs one dollar more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?” Without hesitation, a system one though would fill in the answer blank; the ball costs 10 cents. A system two answer would consider the answer 10 cents, but then, the thinker would back track to realize the mistake made. The real answer is that the ball has to be five cents and the bat has to be one dollar and five cents. “More than 50% of students at Harvard, MIT, and Princeton gave the intuitive—incorrect—answer. At less selective universities, the rate of demonstrable failure to check was in excess of 80%.” (Kahneman, 45-46) In the short definition of brain sweat, brain sweat only occurs when system two thinking takes place. System two thoughts can range from giving someone your phone number to reading high level abstract philosophy. Any effort that is put into thinking can be classified as brain sweat and system two thinking. If a person wants to maximise their positive brain sweat, it is vital to use plenty system two thinking. Reading, learning, solving puzzles, and becoming a creator of something are all perfect ways to stimulate positive brain