Royane Real

By Royane Real

If you want to learn how to use your brain more effectively, you probably want to learn ways to improve your thinking and your memory, as well as learning what supplements to take to improve your brain function.  All those are very important and necessary parts of using your brain for maximum benefit.

However, there is something else that is important for you to learn if you want to get the most out of your brain power.  There's a lot more to learnthan simply mastering new ways to read faster and remember better. 

If you really want to use your brain effectively, you also need to learn how to think better.  You need to find new ways to think more clearly and think more effectively.  You need to develop your common sense and logic as well as your intuition and your creativity.  You need to learn when you are being manipulated by others.

No matter how smart you are and no matter how much knowledge you have, you can still be tricked or influenced by people who know how to manipulate you on an emotional level.  No matter how smart you are, you still have to train yourself to think clearly, and to watch out for cases where people are trying to manipulate you.

Why do we have to worry about being tricked and manipulated even if we happen to be very smart?  The reason is that you have an emotional brain as well as a logical brain.  Your emotional brain is the part that gets easily manipulated by people who know how to appeal to your vanity or to your fears. 

We all know that politicians and sales people in particular are good at trying to get other people to take the actions they want us to take.  That’s why so many people are distrustful of most politicians and sales persons.  Yet we still often end up doing what they want us to do, even though we think we can see through their tricks.

That’s why it’s a good idea to train yourself to spot those occasions when people are side-stepping the truth, or sanitizing what they say, or appealing to your emotions and insecurities.  They may not be committing an outright lie, but they are somehow bending their interpretation of reality to profit from you.  

To avoid being manipulated, ask yourself, “What is the evidence for what is being said here?”  “ And “Can I really trust the evidence that’s being presented to me?”

Also ask yourself, “Who benefits if I believe this statement?  How do they benefit?  Does this person have a reputation for honesty and integrity?” 

Here’s another way you can avoid being manipulated easily. You can also develop a deeper understanding of the issues being discussed if you make a point of seeking out some opposite opinions.  In fact, these opposite opinions can help you understand the topic being discussed at a much deeper level.

Discuss the topic at hand with a few trusted other friends.  Sometimes two brains will be better than one at spotting something that isn’t quite right.

This article was written by Royane Real.  Learn more ways to boost your brain power in my popular ebook :   "How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative  Download it or get the paperback version at http://www.lulu.com/real   ) 

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