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By Cathrine Mountain, Class of 2015
In her book, Mastermind, Maria Konnikova begins to pick apart the various ways that we can begin tapping the limitless resources that exist within our mind. Konnikova claims that we can begin “thinking like Sherlock Holmes” if we practice a number of tricks to increase our mindfulness and simple observational skills. By doing so, Konnikova claims, we can make our minds more productive and get more work done in the day. The concept of keeping track of small details, like counting the number of steps that lead up to a building, something that Holmes appears to care a great deal about, seems more like an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder than any sort of useful knowledge to me. However, Konnikova used this practice to further explain that observing things in your environment that may seem trivial can actually help optimize your deductive reasoning skills and further hone your mental capabilities.
A group of Scholars that were able to attend Konnikova’s lecture at the Idea Festival spent some time discussing the Google Effect with the author. The Google Effect is the tendency people have to forget things that can easily be found by performing an internet search. To my surprise, Konnikova was actually quite a proponent of how our access to information on the internet can optimize the use of our mental resources. She referenced studies showing that because of the Google Effect, brain patterns and the connections that our brains make during cognition have changed; not worsened, just changed. Konnikova seemed excited by the idea of the Google Effect because online resources give us a different way of finding information and more opportunity to remember more important things. Accessing information online, consequently, gives us more time to remember the concepts that are pertinent to our everyday lives and allows us to retain more of the novel ideas that we cannot access with the click of a button.
Konnikova also discussed the benefits of meditating to increase cognitive abilities, a practice that has always seemed so elusive to me. Even just ten minutes of concentrating on something simple, however, like the rhythm of your breath, can lead to profound clarity of thought. In practicing the concepts that Konnikova explained in her book and the ideas we discussed in our meeting with her, I didn’t find much use in taking note of the small details or “counting the steps”. I did, however enjoy the practices that are applicable beyond Holmes’ detective work, like meditation and how we can remember where to find information, which allows us to spend more time on thoughts we deem more important. It still astounds me how immense the possibilities of thought are and continues to leave me perplexed most of the time. With the small practices that Konnikova introduced, however, it seems a bit more possible to begin using our brains and our time more effectively.
Cathrine Mountain is a junior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. She is pursuing degrees in Political Science and Anthropology.