The Advancing Mind: New Psychological Insights for Optimizing Thought and Acting Wisely

Authors: Zhichao Wei and Xiaowei Wang

Publisher: China Machine Press

Imprint: Huazhang Psychology

Publication year: 2020-4

Pages: 254

List price: 59.00 yuan

Binding: Paperback

ISBN: 9787111649410

Overview

How can we make smart decisions when information is incomplete?

How can game thinking spark the motivation to learn?

How can scientific sleep and other methods improve our learning ability?

How can people who are poor at socializing improve their social performance on both the tactical and strategic levels?

In this book, the authors use emotions, thinking, and action as its three-part framework to distill cutting-edge psychological research in a clear and accessible way. They skillfully weave everyday situations together with all kinds of psychological knowledge, seasoning it with fresh and wonderfully offbeat ideas. The result can help you build an entirely new cognitive system, upgrade your mind, and live more wisely!

Recommendations

The everyday phenomena and common sense you take for granted may contain scientific principles you never knew about. Starting with the three major modules of emotions, thinking, and action, this book explains the psychology behind them from the surface down, and from the simple to the profound. Every chapter also includes concrete action guides and references to books and research. You will not only be able to apply what you learn in different situations, but also trace where the knowledge comes from. Open this book and start refreshing your understanding.

—Yang Zhiping, Chairman of Anren Mind Group

Many excellent psychology books appear every year, yet language and disciplinary barriers keep us from discovering them. The psychological insights introduced by Dr. Zhichao Wei and his wife are fascinating and substantial. They cite abundant reliable research data when presenting their arguments, combining scientific rigor with readability. They are truly a guiding light on the road to popularizing psychology.

—Chen Haixian (Motivation in Hangzhou), PhD in psychology from Zhejiang University and renowned psychological counselor

We used to think that controlling action with reason was the ultimate trick. As long as we had determination, perseverance, and goals, we could accomplish anything. So we treated ourselves like horses, as if we would not run fast unless we gave ourselves a few lashes. But there is another way: face our emotions, treat ourselves as friends, and let ourselves run forward happily. If this is the way you would rather go, this book has all the answers you need.

—Chen Zhangyu, founder of the popular reading-media account Zhangyu Reads, followed by 1,000,000 readers

I read this book from beginning to end. The author’s ideas are wonderfully unconventional, the prose flows smoothly, and the book is packed with fresh knowledge. Chapter 1 discusses my old specialty, evolutionary psychology, yet its understanding is strikingly original and its summary concise and clear. Whether as a university teacher or a psychological counselor, I found these insights deeply inspiring—and they strengthened my faith in the Middle Way.

—Wu Baobei, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Beijing Forestry University

A triangle is the most stable structure in the world. Teacher Wei uses the triangle of emotions, thinking, and action to construct a vibrant new world you would never have expected. In this new world, he takes you on a wonderfully satisfying tour of fresh, explosive research from leading psychologists around the globe, then uses writing that is both witty and rigorous to build you an entirely new cognitive system. After reading it, you may feel that creating a good life is surprisingly simple!

—Zhou Xinyue, Director of the Marketing Department, School of Management, Zhejiang University; Professor of Marketing

This book introduces cutting-edge developments across many areas of psychology, then brings them back to the field of self-improvement that concerns us all. The language is lively and fluid: scientific, useful, and fun. I read it word for word with a jealous heart, because quite a few of these developments were things I wanted to write about too—only Teacher Wei got there first. The mindfulness meditation in the opening chapter and the “execution intentions” in the final chapter are both excellent ways to deal with procrastination: the former treats the root and reduces relapse, while the latter works fast and produces immediate results. Both are rapidly finding practical applications in self-management, and are essential skills for the future Homo sapiens who hope to stand their ground in the world.

—Gao Diqingfeng, procrastination counselor, mindfulness teacher in training, and science-based self-management expert

Preface

★★ Part One: Mastering Emotions ★★

Chapter 1: Seeing Through the World Can Be Dangerous / 2
Understanding emotions: The pain of life comes from natural selection / 3
Understanding the self: Everyone has multiple personalities / 9
Form is emptiness: The emotional labels of everything / 16
Please don’t see through the world too completely / 21

Chapter 2: Unorthodox Remedies for Regulating Emotions / 28
Moderate self-abuse: The “heretical martial arts” for fighting bad moods / 29
The Stoic philosophers’ “visualization of death” / 34
The healing power of awe / 38
Fractals: Nature’s secret for relieving stress / 44
Eight powers for dissolving sorrow / 48
Chapter 3: The Happiness Myth / 57
Self-esteem is a sweet trap / 58
The lobster theory: Why we need to toughen up / 63
The dark side of positive psychology / 68
The happiness myth: Everything is wonderful—it’s just that nobody is
happy / 74

★★ Part Two: Optimizing Thought ★★

Chapter 4: How to Make Thinking Flexible / 84
How the brain switches states: Lessons from psychedelics / 85
Lantern consciousness and spotlight consciousness / 91
How to switch your thinking / 96

Chapter 5: Reason’s Guardian Angel and Mortal Enemy / 104
Arguing, reason’s guardian angel / 105
Lean startup thinking in your head / 111
Identity, reason’s mortal enemy / 116
The philosophy of decision-making at the card table / 121
Smart decisions when information is incomplete / 125

Chapter 6: The Road to Becoming a Top Student / 132
Addiction may be necessary for learning / 133
How game thinking can spark the motivation to learn / 139
How to upgrade your “brain RAM” / 145
How to maintain your “brain hard drive” / 151

Chapter 7: The Right Time, Place, and People for Innovation / 159
Innovation’s “first axiom” / 160
Three qualities of innovators / 164
Innovation’s timing and terrain / 168
Transform, take apart, combine: The 3B rule of innovation / 172
Lessons in innovation from Darwin / 176

★★ Part Three: Acting Wisely ★★

Chapter 8: A Survival Guide for the Socially Awkward / 184
Is first impression reliable? / 185
Four kinds of “social ineptitude” / 190
Lose out socially, gain through “systems” / 198
Tactics and strategy for improving social performance / 205

Chapter 9: The Mindsets of Persuasion Experts and Experience Designers / 210
Persuasion mindset 1: How experts land the punchline / 211
Persuasion mindset 2: “I want nothing in return” / 216
Creating experiences 1: Seizing two key moments / 220
Creating experiences 2: Three ways to make them unforgettable / 225

Chapter 10: Self-Control That Is “Tight Outside, Relaxed Inside” / 231
Principle 1: Set visible rules and seek supervision / 232
Principle 2: Change polarized thinking / 237
The distant-goal principle: Execution intentions and bringing the future closer / 243

Review: The “Meta-Principles” of Upgrading the Mind / 249