Energy and Thinking

The effort and energy expended for “thinking” was a theme that emerged in “Thinking, Fast and Slow.” It has been determined that more energy is exerted in System 2 thinking. Since System 1 thinking requires no effort it follows that it doesn’t require much, if any, energy. The customized allocation of attention has been created over the ages through the human survival response. System 1 takes over in emergencies because of its ability for quick response and reaction. When an individual is trained in a task, the demand for energy decreases. Highly intelligent or talented people exert less energy to solve problems. More effort is required in order to simultaneously maintain several ideas or tasks that need to be used in conjunction with each other. System 1 thinking doesn’t have the capabilities to keep all these balls in the air. System 1 is expert at discerning simple similarities and...