Does being mindful enhance our ability to think critically? Why this question matters in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

What if I told you meditation, mindfulness and critical thinking are inextricably linked? The interplay between the three operates like a domino effect: meditation quiets the mind, mindfulness draws attention to the activity in the mind, and critical thinking enhances the quality of this activity. Promoting more thoughtful action in the present and into the future. They share a symbiotic relationship. What if I also told you that AI used mindlessly undermines this symbiotic relationship, and its benefit? Does that concern you?  

For most the term mindfulness, in some capacity, conjures images of a buddha-esq figure situated on a hilltop, in a peaceful meditative state.  For some being mindful is a spiritual practice, enabling a pathway towards enlightenment.  For the less metaphysically inclined it’s a welcomed reprieve from life’s distractions and stressors.  Both notions offer an idyllic promise, filled with images of a “better you,” a season of tranquillity, underpinned by the stuff atomic habits are made of.   But is our view of what mindfulness is, an accurate interpretation? Is this an activity that requires a quiet hilltop, or the not-so-subtle reminders from your mindfulness app?  Is there something greater at hand? If you have ever read or listened to podcasts featuring Dr. Ellen Langer, Harvard professor, and mindfulness researcher, affectionately referred to as “the mother of mindfulness” she would likely contest such a simplistic view.    Dr Langer, whom has been studying mindfulness, and it effects on people, since the mid 1970s, would argue that despite the images of tranquillity, the act of being mindful is a highly conscious and deliberate process.  It is not a passive mind but an active one.

If familiar with the Dual Process Thoery1, made famous by Daniel Kahneman’s book “Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow,” outlined that human beings interact with the world under two pretences: consciously or unconsciously.  System one, (thinking fast) is the unconscious mind, it’s autopilot mode.  As we reach adulthood, it determines 90% of the decisions and actions we take.  All informed by a mental template of the world, created in the early phases of life.  System two (thinking slow) is the conscious mind, the executive function. This operating mode is capable of completing complex tasks and scenarios where your brain doesn’t have a template at its disposal.  We often associate mathematical computations with this system, but the act of being mindful is a system two task; you can’t be mindful in autopilot.  Engagement of system two is important because it’s the only tool we have to alter the mental blueprint that informs system one.

The conscious activity that being mindful promotes ushers in a serious of benefits, most notably it increases grey matter in the brain. Grey matter is what enables us to tackle complex problem sets and overall cognitive performance. Mindfulness also boasts other benefits as a byproduct of enhanced grey matter, which include:

·      Greater psychological flexibility

·      Increased openness  

·      Improved memory

·      Greater levels of self-regulation, empathy and self-awareness

·      Enhanced memory, and cognitive processing power  

The decrease of grey matter actively diminishes these benefits, regardless of stage of life.

So, does being mindful enhance your ability to think critically?  Yes, but why?

The Mindful: Critical Thinking Intersection

There are several definitions of what critical thinking is but essentially, it’s a metacognitive2 process, or the ability to evaluate your own thinking (coincidentally, this is definition of mindfulness).  It enables us to examine our bias, conditioning, and confront our own perceived limitations. This self-critique allows us to make more informed decisions and improve our momentary as well as our long-term conditions.  A critical mind is an effective first line defence against misleading information from both external sources such as the media, or technology applications, as well as internal sources such as your own internal monologue.  It provides the means to examine your own cognitive bias, as well as identify it in others.

If we go back to the start of this article, meditation calms the mind, which enables passive observation of the minds condition and outputs (e.g. your thoughts), without judgement. When we are able to observe these outputs without emotional connection to them, we are better able to apply a more critical mind. When we make this a habit, we make a habit out of being discerning.

A critical mind is dependent on a mindful mind.  

What’s AI got to do with it?

Despite the rapid pace of change, and the never-ending hype, we are at the start of the Human: AI relationship. While AI has its purpose, it’s important to be vigilant concerning its pitfalls.  The use of AI (or anything that produces a cognitive dependency) without intention promotes mindlessness not mindfulness. That may sound like a simple play on words, but the impacts are dire.  

A study by the Swiss Business School (SBS)3 in 2024, found that frequent use (unfortunately “frequent” wasn’t defined) of AI significantly impacted cognitive processing, and negatively impacted critical thinking skills4.  The researchers asserted that cognitive offloading, the process of using an external tool to aid in your memory or completion of a task, was largely to blame.  Ironically, the belief that AI enhances critical thinking skills is rooted in the Cognitive Load Theory, a theory devised in the late 1980s.  The theory asserts cognitive offloading helps the brain focus on high order thinking and tasks by freeing up space.  The process of using a relying on an external tool, such as writing something down, or using GPS. Importantly, the offloading tools of the late 80s, and early 90s consisted of paper and pen, and perhaps a Texas Instrument calculator.  Instruments that pose little comparison to today’s applications, where it’s possible to fully outsource your intelligence. That outsourcing is happening in environments previously reserved for learning and complex problem solving, such as educational settings as well as professional.

The negative impacts of cognitive offloading in the AI era, are significant.  For one, it reduces grey matter, which results in weakened neural pathways, and an erosion of analytic capability. Secondly, it’s been found to reduce empathy, self-regulation, and increase impulsivity.  The gains you achieve from being mindful are reversed through mindless use of AI.

Our brains thrive on conscious activity, when you remove that process, it weakens the very attributes that make us human.   

So, what’s the point?

The first is being aware of your own internal wiring, that we are inherently wired to operate in system one. Subjectivity and the potential hastiness that promotes it is part of the human condition.   The second is simply being more present can enhance your ability to critically reason.  The third, is not to avoid AI and other technologies but use them mindfully not mindlessly.  Resist the urge to fall victim to the allure of their convenience. The fourth and final is to be aware of how you engage with AI tools.  When you allow these tools to do your thinking for you, it has deleterious consequences to your health and wellbeing.  

Here are a few tips I have picked up along the way, on balancing the conveniences posed by AI tools (mainly generative), while still operating in System two.

1.     It’s not whether you use technology/AI, it’s how you use technology/AI: 

·       Use AI as a thinking partner, not your outsourced thinker. It’s a great research partner.

·       Engage in a dialogue and apply a critical lens to its outputs.

·       Resist the urge to simply cut and paste the provided outputs.

·       If using generative AI tools opt for tools that provide source data. I use perplexity ai, there are others.

·       Read the source data to gain an understanding of the context of the provided bullet points.

·       Be mindful of your confirmation bias, how you ask a question determines what answer you will get back. Explore multiple sides of a concept, rather than get your answer and move on to the next task.

·       If you can find, write or solve the problem yourself, opt for that path.  Save AI for the bigger more complex scenarios where a thinking partner will save you time and increase the quality of your outputs.

As a final side note, if you are interested in learning more about mindfulness and the science behind it, I recommend and have included a link to a recent podcasts with Harvard’s Dr Ellen Langer, and Stanford’s Dr. Andrew Huberman in the footnote below5, along with the SBS study.   

1 Dual Process Theory a psychological framework that explains how people make decisions (System 1 – fast and automatic) and (System 2 – Slow and deliberate) popularised by Daniel Kahneman’s book “Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow

2 Metacognition is the process of “thinking about thinking” it is the scientific version of being mindful. It’s enabled by the Pre-Frontal Cortex, the human brain’s executive function.

3 Link to the SBS Study (n=666 participants of ages 17 – 65+): https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/1/6

4 The SBS study did find a strong correlation of AI impact on critical thinking skills and age and education levels, less educated and younger participants (17 – 25 yrs of age) were more negatively impacted than older participants.

5  Dr. Andrew Huberman & Dr Ellen Langer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYAgf_lfio4