An analytical mind will help you solve problems, read people and make money. Train him.

By analytical thinking we understand a person’s ability to use logic in the process of analyzing available information and make a final decision based on this.

Analytical thinking involves a number of skills:

• Divide information into components.
• Analyze both the source information as a whole and its parts.
• Fill in missing pieces of information using logical conclusions.

When solving a problem analytically, several successive steps are usually performed:

• Several options for solving it are being considered.
• An analysis of each of them is carried out, and attention is paid to all the positive and negative aspects.
• The most suitable option is selected.

To illustrate the manifestations of analytical thinking, let's look at a few examples:

1). Let's try to solve a logic problem.

If you cut off one of the corners of a table, how many will remain? If you answer “three” or “five,” then we suggest you think analytically: do we have all the data to find a solution? Actually, before answering this question, we need to know:

• The shape of the tabletop, because tables come in different shapes, including triangular and polygonal.
• Cut line. Even in the case of a rectangular or square table, we can cut off a corner near the edge - and there will be 5 corners left, or we can cut it diagonally, and there will be 3 corners left.

2). Let's try to analyze the proposal. “Now she had a whole wealth of time: a full two minutes until the cabin passed the internal network and ended up on the highway.” (V. Mikhailov: “Then come and let’s reason”). What conclusions can we draw?

• The action takes place in a fantasy world, as the vehicle is a cabin, which does not yet exist in the real world.
• The action takes place in the city: there is a complex transport infrastructure, including an internal network and highways.
• The main character is a woman.
• Most likely, she is a special agent, since she knows how to act under limited time conditions (two minutes is a whole wealth).
• At the moment the heroine is in a hurry. Perhaps he is running away from someone.
• Once she gets on the highway, something important is going to happen.

Such an analysis can be used as a task game if you select template proposals in advance.

Types of thinking and brain hemispheres

People in creative professions have a more developed right hemisphere. It is responsible for the psycho-emotional sphere of perception and imaginative thinking. Left - for logical thinking, analysis of information. Each of us uses both hemispheres.

The mindset is determined by individual personality traits, plus the social environment and level of education play a role:

• Practical. People tend to evaluate everything from a rational point of view. They try to plan everything, build logical conclusions, and apply knowledge in practice. Rational thinking is higher than emotions. Not prone to sentimentality or unnecessary dreams.
• Humanitarian. Perception is based on feelings and emotional reactions. They do not concentrate on specifics and details. They see a common goal. Intuition helps them find the right solutions.
• Mathematical. A combination of practical and logical thinking. Rules and laws come first. Mathematical analysis of information, logical conclusions, rational decisions.
• Artistically figurative. They perceive information as an image. Associative thinking is developed. Creative individuals with a developed imagination. They are able to convey information in words, through artistic creativity.
• Analytical mindset (universal). Includes elements of all types of thought processes.

In real life, there is no one type of person. One option predominates, but all are present.

What is analytical thinking

A person with a synthetic mindset:

• quickly analyzes information and grasps the essence;
• finds errors and inconsistencies in opponents’ logic;
• analyzes and builds logic;
• expresses thoughts consistently;
• offers solutions, selects the optimal one, supports it with arguments;
• has a good reaction.

Analytical thinking, its highest manifestation, is the ability to model and predict the development of events. An algorithm of logical chains is part of the process. Synthetic thinking is a creative process. Search for new information, development modeling.

Test your analytical thinking

• tests to analyze the degree of development of synthetic thinking in many areas: reaction speed, ability to remember information, attentiveness and others. There is a selection of literature, links to download.
• - online test for analytical skills - a series of tasks, a series of numbers. It is necessary to determine the logic of the sequence and select one of the proposed options. The result evaluates the level of synthetic thinking.
• — learn how to test your analytical skills using text. They offer 13 diverse multiple-choice questions. At the end an assessment is given.

Games

The best way to improve analytical thinking in primary schoolchildren is through various games. They help you develop while having fun. If a child does not want to engage in any type of activity, or he simply does not like a certain game, then there is no need to force him, because in this case there will be no benefit.

What games will be effective:

1. Quests. You can come up with a variety of quest options, but for a small child you should give preference to the simplest ones. For example, draw a map of the yard for him, according to which he will have to find treasures hidden by his parents.
2. Puzzles. Finding the right elements and gradually assembling the big picture involves not only thinking, but also a person's attention. Schoolchildren should choose images that are not too large, with no more than 500 details.
3. Board games. You can improve your analytical skills only in those board games where all participants are required to think about their decisions or calculate future steps. This option is perfect for the whole family.

Game-based development is very effective, which is why it is practiced by many parents. You just need to choose the right games for your child.

Why should you develop analytical thinking?

Basic abilities do not guarantee inevitable success or realization in life. They need to be developed, supplemented with new skills, and the overall level of intelligence increased. An analytical mind is of great importance in leadership positions and in well-paid professions.

The brain, like the body, needs exercise. During classes, new connections emerge, brain activity is activated, intracerebral connections are rebuilt, and analytical skills are upgraded:

• speed of information sorting, determination of the main component;
• ability to analyze and systematize data;
• ability to identify unreliable, incorrect information;
• modeling and long-term planning skills;
• the ability to quickly and effectively solve problems and find solutions to complex situations, including everyday ones;
• The level of memorization of a large amount of data or complex information is pumped up.

Employers favor applicants who attend courses and are interested in self-development. After completing a course to improve analytical thinking, be sure to indicate this in your resume and attach a certificate/diploma of completion.

Workouts in everyday life

You can develop this type of thinking without much effort if you include some gentle exercises in your daily life. They can be used at any time. The main condition for achieving the effect will be the regularity of these trainings.

How you can train analytical skills:

1. Search for patterns. You should always try to find any patterns. This applies to work or study, as well as all household chores.
2. Formation of useful habits. Trying to develop habits has a positive effect on the brain. If at the same time they are connected with thinking (reading, mental arithmetic, inferences), then a double effect will be obtained.
3. Action analysis. You should consider the actions of absolutely everyone you encounter in life. It is recommended to analyze even characters from movies or books.
4. Thinking through the past, present, future. You need to think about why an event happened, how else it could have ended, what it will lead to in the future.
5. Planning a conversation. During a conversation, you should think in advance what this or that phrase will lead to, and decide what is best to say. If you manage to develop this skill, you will become a very pleasant person to talk to.

Regularly performing such exercises will allow you to achieve the desired result. But even after this, you should not stop training to maintain your thinking.

Where people with an analytical mind are paid well

People with a synthetic mindset are in great demand in the IT field, which is popular and profitable. What is important here is the speed of reaction and the ability to analyze a huge layer of information. Logic and analysis help to build algorithms and create programs.

Analytical skills are in demand in the following environment:

• marketers;
• in the advertising field;
• among economic and political analysts;
• politicians;
• diplomats;
• journalists;
• entrepreneurs, businessmen;
• managers.

Successful businessmen tend to have good analytical skills. Otherwise, it is difficult to compete in the market and create a new product. Being in a situation where you need to solve problems on a daily basis helps develop analytical skills.

The development of analytical thinking, as well as self-knowledge, is a continuous process. Scientists have stated the fact that people who have engaged in intellectual and spiritual practice retain mental clarity into old age.

Think standard

“Think outside the box!” - they call on us from all sides, but perhaps it makes sense to do the opposite? Maybe it’s more useful to learn to think in a standard, stereotypical way. Constraints stimulate creativity. As the great jazz musician Charles Mingus once explained, “You can't improvise on empty, old man. Study reality first, and then improvise.”

In a series of Rider University studies aimed at identifying the relationship between constraints and creativity, some students were asked to use eight given nouns in rhyming stanzas to write the text for a greeting card. The second group was asked to simply write rhyming stanzas. The creativity of their works was assessed by an independent expert commission. Participants who started with eight concrete nouns, a pre-specified condition, consistently outperformed the other group.

Psychologist Keith Sawyer of the University of North Carolina found the same thing when studying improv theater troupes. “Improv actors are taught to be as specific as possible,” explains Sawyer. - The phrase “Careful, he has a gun!” should be replaced with “Look, he has a new ZX-23 laser destruction device!” Instead of just asking what the problem is, you should say, “Don't tell me you're still mad at me for dropping your necklace in the toilet.” The fact is that restrictions stimulate creativity. A white page is too empty to be useful, which is why in my work I always follow this rule: when you sit down to write, always know where to start and where to end. Such conditions liberate me. I have put the two cornerstones in place, and now anything in between - a book, an article, or a speech - will simply connect them. But without landmarks, I can get stuck or, worse, waste a lot of time wandering around the surrounding areas. By the way, this is why it took me 11 years to write my first novel. In short, when it comes to creativity, not knowing where you're going is a surefire way to never get there.

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Another important caveat: Many people believe that time constraints, that is, clearly defined deadlines, stimulate creativity. Yes and no. We've said before that feeling like you have enough time can boost creativity. This is true. But it is also true that deadlines save creative projects from undue delay, so they need to be set far enough into the future to include long periods of timelessness in the artist’s schedule. In other words, deadlines should fall within the sweet spot between task complexity and skill, and be tight enough to challenge us, but not too tight to break us.

Material on the topic

How to train your analytical thinking

• Solving logical problems stimulates the processes of mental activity. These are crosswords, puzzles, participation in intellectual games. Try for example:

• Logical and analytical thinking tasks are a fun game that develops the brain.
• An interesting way is to simulate situations. This is a favorite technique of science fiction writers. Imagine being in an unfamiliar city abroad and getting lost. Think over your algorithm of actions, ways to get out of the situation.
• Playing chess and checkers requires deep analytics and develops the activity of brain cells.
• Have intellectual conversations, discussions, and debates with opponents. This is important because not only the truth is “born”, but also the mind and the ability to logically arrange thoughts are sharpened.
• Reading fiction develops the brain. Try yourself as a writer. Perhaps hidden talents will be revealed.
• It has a beneficial effect on the activation of neurons, the psychological state of all types of creative activity.

Courses, websites

Specialists from foreign and domestic universities offer courses. The final grade is determined based on testing.

1. Use the American-Russian platform (training cycles). The block contains lecture courses, tests, and links to literary sources.
2. Leading universities in the world offer to listen to a course of online lectures on the websites. Examination tests give the right to receive a university certificate.
3. Find out how to develop analytical thinking on the website. The version is available in the Google Play application. A unique opportunity to listen to a course of lectures, for example, while on the road.