Is It Time to Think About Your Thinking?

"However, times changed, ideas shifted, and people with a high emotional intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ) were thought of as more clever still, and became the more valued. However, according to the latest research, the trait that separates the truly intelligent from the rest of us-the quality that can't be beat-is something known as metacognition, or the ability to think about your thoughts. But, not just think about them, but also do something about them."

"According to a study published in the popular science journal Nature, people with a metacognitive ability are not only aware of their thought processes (metacognitive knowledge) but are also able to regulate these processes more effectively (metacognitive control) and then respond accordingly. 1 The study itself is a review of all the literature on the subject, and the authors acknowledge the need for further investigation, but several studies have suggested that metacognition is very important in learning environments and with academic achievement."

Metacognition is the ability to think about one’s own thoughts and to regulate those thought processes through metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive control. High metacognitive ability enables awareness of thinking patterns, deliberate regulation, and adaptive responses. Metacognition correlates with higher academic achievement and enhanced performance in educational activities. Individuals with strong metacognitive skills show superior divergent thinking and convergent thinking, combining creative idea generation with logical problem solving. Metacognition is not fixed at birth; it can be developed by cultivating good habits such as pausing before decisions and deliberately analysing and challenging one’s thoughts.

Read at Psychology Today