GC:OPINION How to think better - Calming the monkey mind
Don’t worry, you are not alone. We have all been there where our minds are moving at a thousand miles an hour, bouncing thoughts around our head asking us the weirdest questions and offering even more preposterous answers.Why do we do this when it serves us no positive purpose at all? Has this always been the case? How do we solve it? Welcome to the world of the monkey mind! This notion has been talked about for over 1500 years, with it first being discussed in Budhist teachings where it is outlined being the “mental-monkey” that reflects restlessness, curiosity, and mimicry associated with this animal. Moreover, they go further and state that the random, uncontrollable movements of the monkey symbolise the waywardness of the native human mind before it achieves a composure which only the Buddhist discipline can affect. So by this token, we could argue that the foundations of the monkey mind have been in place for quite some time. In recent years, if you follow football you may have become aware of sports psychologist Professor Steve Peters who wrote the Chimp Paradox. This was a big thing a couple of years back, with grizzled veterans like former Manchester United legend Roy Keane who humorously quipped “I tried to read it - I’m open minded - but my chimp wouldn’t let me!” However, former England star Steven Gerrard noted that “Steve Peters is not going to make the players run 100 metres any quicker, or do a Cruyff turn better or hit a 40-yard pass any more accurately,” Gerrard had said. “But what I can guarantee is that if the players buy into it, he’ll be able to help them with mental preparation and make them understand how the mind works, especially when you’re going into pressure situations.”
What is it? Within the Chimp Paradox, Peters argues that you can live with more control, calmness and focus once you understand your chimp. To give an oversimplified understanding over the human brain according to Peters can be broken down into three parts, the
GAME CHANGERS Issue #35
frontal (the human), the limbic (the chimp), the parietal (the computer) The human is considered to be the real you that works with evidence and searches for proof, they remain open minded and maintain the ability to change their minds, and to see someone else’s point of view, rational thinking and common sense and evaluate to see if something is feasible or realistic. The chimp is an emotional machine that we all possess. The purpose of this is to ensure your survival and is independent which can make decisions on its own. The chimp needs to know if it is safe and is continuously looking for danger. It can be seen to be mistrusting and prone to paranoia. The computer is the storage area for thoughts and behaviours that the chimp or the human has put into it. It then uses the information to act in an automatic way.
