Summary

Understanding psychology can complicate one's ability to trust instincts and may lead to over-analysis of social interactions and behaviors.

Abstract

The article discusses the paradoxical effect of psychological knowledge on daily life. While intuition and gut feelings can be valuable, learning about psychology introduces a myriad of interpretative lenses that can obscure these instincts. The author suggests that psychological insight can lead to endless questioning and justification of one's own and others' behaviors, potentially diminishing the ability to form clear first impressions or to say 'no' to social requests. This knowledge can also result in limitless empathy, causing one to always seek underlying reasons for behaviors rather than reacting naturally. The article concludes by acknowledging the benefits of psychological understanding but also emphasizing the importance of knowing when to apply this knowledge to avoid overthinking and to maintain genuine human connections.

Opinions

The author believes that psychological knowledge can act as a filter, altering one's perception and response to social cues and interactions.
There is an opinion that too much psychological insight can lead to a lack of trust in one's own gut feelings and first impressions.
The article posits that an in-depth understanding of psychology can result in unlimited empathy, potentially causing a disconnect with those who do not share the same level of insight.
It is suggested that individuals with psychological knowledge may struggle to decline requests for assistance or connection, as they often see these as opportunities for positive human interaction.
The author implies that overanalyzing one's own behavior due to psychological knowledge can be both a strength and a weakness, leading to personal growth but also to excessive introspection.
The article conveys the idea that while psychology provides valuable tools for understanding human behavior, it is important to balance this knowledge with the ability to live intuitively and without constant analysis.

Here’s Why Knowing About Psychology Doesn’t Lead to a Better Life

The more you know about the mind, the less you listen to your gut

I used to have a good intuition.

As a toddler, there were people I didn’t trust, for no apparent reason. Years later, more people in my circle figured out that these people could indeed not be trusted.

During my childhood, I usually had strong feelings upon meeting someone for the first time. I had a hard time going past the first impression, and I had no wish to change my mind.

Like the lady wearing yellow glasses in the above picture, once you start learning about psychology, the lenses you wear get tinted. The more you learn, the darker they become.

You soon are equipped with dozens of filters that impair your sight and your first impression. At a certain point removing the lenses becomes impossible.

You start finding underlying reasons and excuses for everything and everyone, and you can no longer hear what your gut is saying.

Here are 5 examples of how knowing — too much — about psychology impairs your instincts.

1. You no longer know what a first impression is

Once you learn about psychology, you start to interpret signs and cues. You believe that anything you witness is only the tip of the iceberg, that there is more than can meet the eyes.

Everyone has their trauma, life experiences, and life lessons.

When someone displays hostile behavior, it’s rarely for no reason; they may have felt hurt or offended, or they may never have been taught another way to (re)act.

Imagine the good-looking colleague you see every day at the coffee machine. You find them nice and charming, you could even have a crush on them; could only, because, past the first 2 seconds of your first encounter, you start guessing what any of their word or gesture — or lack thereof — could mean.

You don’t let the primal attraction settle, your mind has already taken over:

Are they single?

Do they find you attractive as well?

Have they noticed you at all?

What’s their dating and relationship history?

And so on.

2. Your empathy has no limit

Once you know that any type of trauma — or even any type of event — can have long-lasting effects on someone, you find a possible justification for any behavior.

You don’t get angry at people; whether you know them or not.

You always have an excuse for a stranger on the street, from the pedestrian who simply won’t look at you, to the grumpy old lady talking to herself, to the lost man randomly shouting.

They can’t be blamed for their present situation, something terrible must have had happened to them in the past. Some may call it bad luck, others may call it karma, I would say that life happens; and life doesn’t treat us equally.

Your close ones can’t understand why you understand every one. They can even start blaming and shaming you because you won’t blame or shame anyone. They can’t relate and it can drive a wedge between you and them.

It’s like you’re equipped with software that very few people around you have integrated as well.

3. You think you know better why people act a certain way

The world is full of people who lack self-awareness, and you probably count a few of them in your circle.

They may behave impulsively, ignore their feelings or let their ego dictate their life. You can’t refrain from playing the therapist in your head when you’re with them.

You try to help them without coming across as a know-it-all.

You wish they paid more attention to what’s happening inside of them. You wish they were able to understand that their behavior has been shaped by past events. You also wish they learned from their mistakes.

In the end what you wish is that they knew about psychology as much as you do, so that they could work on themselves without threatening your inner peace.

4. You can’t say ‘no’ to an attempt to connect

It can be someone asking for their way on the street, asking how the self-cashier works at the supermarket or asking to keep an eye on their belongings while they excuse themselves to the toilet.

They may only need the help, or they may be longing for connection. Either way, you don’t see why you wouldn’t assist.

Maybe they live on their own and the interaction they have with you will be the only interaction they have that day; because they got old and they don’t see many people anymore, or because working from home has made real-life connections rare and precious.

When dealing with humans, you don’t think in terms of ROI — return on investment — ever.

You think humans are intrinsically good and every interaction attempt comes from a place of genuine need, care, or curiosity.

You don’t question the motives. You know that whatever it is — a smile, a phone call, or a 3-minute conversation — you would have made this person’s day better, and you’ll feel good about it.

5. You’re too much in your head

Your own thinking, your own feeling, your own behavior.

You’re re-enacting what happened to you that day, during that activity, or that interaction. You want to understand why you acted in such a way.

You do this to understand yourself better, to learn from every day and from every part of you. This will help you be better the next time when a similar situation occurs.

Course-correcting is something vital to you, you actually enjoy it. Making mistakes is part of being human, you treat your own mistakes with compassion and curiosity:

What happened to me?

Why did I behave this way?

How could I make it better next time?

Psychology knowledge makes you a more empathetic human being, yet it makes every situation more tiring, as it actually takes place more than once for you — yes you’re replaying the scene in your head afterward.

Final Words

Everyone can benefit from learning about the way our mind works.

Psychology is an eye-opening science that helps you see clearly trends and behaviors that you wouldn’t be able to identify otherwise. It helps you understand a lot about yourself and others.

Yet, it also triggers many questions and many doubts. The more you know, the more you want to know, and the more blurry it can become.

It can even be counter-intuitive, causing the following:

You can no longer listen to your instinct
Your empathy has no limit
You think you’re better than people who don’t know what you know
You can’t say ‘no’
You analyze and overthink everything

Psychology gives you more clarity on many human behaviors, but it also gives you many tools and ways of interpreting and it’s not easy to pick the right one.

The same way you wear sunglasses only when the sun shines, the best would be to decide when you want to see the world from a psychology lens.

Sometimes you might want to experience life as an animal, and not overthink anything.