Author:: [[Anne-Laure Le Cunff]] DateFinished:: URL:: https://nesslabs.com/cognitive-closure Rating:: Tags:: # Reopening the Mind: How Cognitive Closure Kills Creative Thinking  [[Cognitive closure]] - [[We tend toward cognitive closure in the short term at the expense of the long term]] - [[Two ways cognitive closure manifests itself]] - [[A high need for cognitive closure might reduce creativity]] ## Highlights But [dealing with uncertainty](https://nesslabs.com/uncertain-mind) feels uncomfortable, so we try to get to an answer as fast as possible, sometimes irrationally, as long as it seems to neatly close the open loops we’ve been struggling with — thus providing us with a sense of closure. That’s why our need for cognitive closure is related to our aversion toward ambiguity ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5g3kcv49sjt3xb7hhdnvdx)) - Note: This reminds me of temporal precedence. When things are close to us socially, in time, or physically we tend to thing of it in more concrete terms. There when we are feeling uncertain in these situations we are likely to try to come to cognitive closure when it might not be a good long term decision. Anxiety is trying to tell us something. We shouldn’t see it as something to got rid of in the short term. Dragons are best dealt with right away. For particularly important decisions we should go through a lot of decision making journaling. According to Professor Arie Kruglanski and his team at the University of Maryland, the need for cognitive closure manifests itself via two main tendencies: ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5g7xnns3n9zspejq1yc8rd)) [[Two ways cognitive closure manifests itself]] **The urgency tendency:** our inclination to attain closure as fast as possible. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5g7s24yea4ajhv8nmz1fxy)) **The permanence tendency:** our inclination to maintain closure for as long as possible ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5g7ptt1zarmdecq72b4ahh)) A high need for cognitive closure may lead us to select only information that matches our current knowledge and may result in faster resolution. We may also analyze that information in ways that produce simple, quick solutions — but not always the best solution ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5gaazxr41sqtw36tmsynz2)) - Note: [[A high need for cognitive closure might reduce creativity]] because uncertainty is integral to the creative process. Another way cognitive closure impacts the way we think is by making us cling to our current ideas to maintain our sense of expertise. Instead of expending cognitive resources towards learning new information and dealing with the discomfort of uncertainty, we hold on to the reassuring perception of solid knowledge ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5gba9nf0cndcn00xp77rvc)) - Note: Cognitive closure is related to the fixed mindset in this way. Researchers Arne Roets and Alain Van Hiel from Ghent University [created](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886910004344) a short version of the questionnaire, with only 15 items. Here are the questions, where 1 means “strongly disagree” and 6 means “strongly agree”: ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5gf46f2s0fwy653hkt0z48)) - Note: Go back to article and take questionnaire Then, add up all your answers. Scores up to 30 mean low need for closure, and scores between 75-90 mean high need for closure. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5gf9gtkv0prjjf5wt9hqsp)) Liminal states can be uncomfortable, but they offer an [unparalleled time for creativity](https://nesslabs.com/liminal-creativity). Some people are more comfortable than others in these moments of ambiguity, and the way we handle uncertainty greatly impacts our ability to think creatively under pressure ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5ges9b1qa7673pct7pv0z5)) Author:: [[Anne-Laure Le Cunff]] DateFinished:: URL:: https://nesslabs.com/cognitive-closure Rating:: Tags:: #📩 #🟥 # Reopening the Mind: How Cognitive Closure Kills Creative Thinking  ## Highlights But [dealing with uncertainty](https://nesslabs.com/uncertain-mind) feels uncomfortable, so we try to get to an answer as fast as possible, sometimes irrationally, as long as it seems to neatly close the open loops we’ve been struggling with — thus providing us with a sense of closure. That’s why our need for cognitive closure is related to our aversion toward ambiguity ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5g3kcv49sjt3xb7hhdnvdx)) - Note: This reminds me of temporal precedence. When things are close to us socially, in time, or physically we tend to thing of it in more concrete terms. There when we are feeling uncertain in these situations we are likely to try to come to cognitive closure when it might not be a good long term decision. Anxiety is trying to tell us something. We shouldn’t see it as something to got rid of in the short term. Dragons are best dealt with right away. For particularly important decisions we should go through a lot of decision making journaling. According to Professor Arie Kruglanski and his team at the University of Maryland, the need for cognitive closure manifests itself via two main tendencies: ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5g7xnns3n9zspejq1yc8rd)) **The urgency tendency:** our inclination to attain closure as fast as possible. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5g7s24yea4ajhv8nmz1fxy)) **The permanence tendency:** our inclination to maintain closure for as long as possible ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5g7ptt1zarmdecq72b4ahh)) A high need for cognitive closure may lead us to select only information that matches our current knowledge and may result in faster resolution. We may also analyze that information in ways that produce simple, quick solutions — but not always the best solution ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5gaazxr41sqtw36tmsynz2)) - Note: A high need for cognitive closure might reduce creativity because uncertainty is integral to the creative process. Another way cognitive closure impacts the way we think is by making us cling to our current ideas to maintain our sense of expertise. Instead of expending cognitive resources towards learning new information and dealing with the discomfort of uncertainty, we hold on to the reassuring perception of solid knowledge ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5gba9nf0cndcn00xp77rvc)) - Note: Cognitive closure is related to the fixed mindset in this way. Researchers Arne Roets and Alain Van Hiel from Ghent University [created](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886910004344) a short version of the questionnaire, with only 15 items. Here are the questions, where 1 means “strongly disagree” and 6 means “strongly agree”: ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5gf46f2s0fwy653hkt0z48)) - Note: Go back to article and take questionnaire Then, add up all your answers. Scores up to 30 mean low need for closure, and scores between 75-90 mean high need for closure. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5gf9gtkv0prjjf5wt9hqsp)) Liminal states can be uncomfortable, but they offer an [unparalleled time for creativity](https://nesslabs.com/liminal-creativity). Some people are more comfortable than others in these moments of ambiguity, and the way we handle uncertainty greatly impacts our ability to think creatively under pressure ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01gk5ges9b1qa7673pct7pv0z5))