On February 4, I wrote about the two modes described in Thinking, Fast and Slow. There is a fast, automatic thinking and a slower, deliberate reasoning. Fast thinking keeps us efficient. Slow thinking keeps us accurate. There is also a third layer that I hinted about. We are going to explore this more fully now. It has nothing to do with the speed of thinking. It has to do with awareness. It is called metacognition. If you are trying to recalibrate old habits, interrupt outdated emotional reactions or regain your sense of agency, this if a vital skill to be aware of and one you will want to strengthen.
What is Metacognition? Simply, it is thinking about your thinking. It is the capacity to notice, name and influence your own mental processes in real time. It includes, not only the awareness of the mental processes, but also awareness of emotional activation. It includes being reflective about your own assumptions and interpretations. It also includes the awareness that a decision is about to happen. It is not the process of slow thinking or analysis. It is not rumination. It is just noticing. In other words, slow thinking is the process of reasoning carefully, while metacognition is the recognition that reasoning might be needed…or night not. It is important to point out the distinction between awareness vs process. Fast thinking is a process – it reacts. Slow thinking is a process – it analyzes. Metacognition notices which one is operating and then creates space for a pause. That pause leaves room for control. Sometimes it triggers the slow thinking process, but other times it just taps the brakes.
As I discussed in the Jan 28th article, decision making is a threshold process. Inputs accumulate including emotions, environmental cues, prior memories/experiences and the social context. Activation then arises. When the threshold is crossed, behavior is initiated. Metacognition lives just before the threshold crossing. It detects the rise in activation. Sometimes that detection will recruit the process of slow thinking: “what is really happening here?” Other times it will just initiate a pause. Either way, the process is halted before hitting the threshold. The ability to insert that pause is often enough to change the trajectory of a conversation, a decision or even your day.
It is important to recognize that metacognition does not always require analysis. We tend to assume awareness must lead to deeper thinking, but often the most skillful move is just restraint. You notice, do nothing, let the surge pass, then reset. In other words, metacognition functioning without having to engage slow thinking. Metacognition increases optionality without mandating a specific intervention.
So, what happens when Fast Thinking is miscalibrated? Many people operate with fast patterns that once made sense but no longer serve them. Some examples include:
Interpreting neutral feedback as rejection.
Reacting to disagreement as threat.
Avoiding opportunities due to old fear scripts.
Escalating minor frustrations into major conflicts.
While fast thinking might be efficient, it is heavily shaped by past environments. What once protected may now be creating distortions for you. Metacognition is how you recognize outdated programming. The first step is not changing it…it is noticing it. An internal dialogue might sound like this:
“This feels bigger than it probably is.”
“I’ve reacted this way before.”
“This is that old pattern again.”
This awareness alone starts to loosen the grip of the automatic response. You now have a choice. It is not a guarantee of change, but a choice. To execute that choice, you need control. Early on in developing improved metacognition, control may not be as effective as you want it to be, which is OK. This is part of the journey. In order to make lasting changes in your life you need a balance of self awareness (ideally in real time) and the ability to intervene when needed to steer toward the desired outcome. Everyone is at a different stage in their self awareness and their ability to control what happens next. To better illustrate these stages, we are going to next take a look at the Awareness/Control matrix. You can think of this as a map to locate where you are and to outline the path forward. Be sure to subscribe so you can be alerted when the next article drops.