Do people think logically?

There is a difference between thinking logically, and thinking rationally.

Thinking logically means that the math works, even if the numbers are wrong. In other words, an argument can be logical, even if the premise is ridiculous.

But are women more irrational than men? No idea. But I know that everyone is irrational almost all the time. And the times we think rationally? These are fleeting moments, adding figures in your checkbook, or measuring something.

Thinking logically is part of intelligence, but intelligence is different from thinking rationally.

The vast majority of our thinking process is done in the emotional centers (the temporal lobes and amygdala) and the instinctual center ( the brain stem, or reptile brain).

The only reason we think we are rational, is because the part of the brain that gives us our "running monologue" (the conscious part) is using some of the same areas that act according to emotions or drives.

You'd be amazed if you knew that much of the way we think, is mostly us just trying to find a way to satisfy an instinctual drive.

Our rational part of the brain isn't "us". The rational fore brain is a tool to help us survive.

And people with brain damage to that section of the brain, can get along pretty well. In the few documented cases where the person's emotions are completely absent..they are pretty paralyzed.

You said a common saying is;
"Women make decisions based on emotion and justify with reason afterward"

which morphed in sales to:
"People buy with emotions and justify with reason"

We justify with reason later, only in that we have to communicate to others why we did something. And then we make an attempt to translate our emotional and instinctual drives, into having some rational justification.

And if we aren't verbalizing why we did something, this "justify with logic" phase can be completely absent. We may feel a need to justify to others, but there is no need to justify to ourselves.

But bein "reasonable" is part of our self image...and so we make up something that sounds rational to us, without really using rational thought. And that's why we don't realize (as we are rationalizing) that our reasons aren't really rational. We are trying to translate an irrational thought into rational terms. Watch any political show, and it may be everything you see.

In other words, there is an attempt to sound rational, but no attempt to actually think rationally. So we may end up with a reason that sounds (at least to us) logical, but is not rational....because the reason we acted the way we did, or said what we said, is driven by emotions and instinctual drives.


And think about this; Every thought that we think is rational, was brought about by an irrational cause....and if we dig deep enough...into even the most rational of arguments, we find an instinctual drive, as a first cause.

Weird.

That's an important thing for us to realize and it is one reason (if I can say that here) people that disagree can get along.

Eventually, we've all got to roll with something or else we'll eventually stop getting out of bed.

This is why you sell benefits and not features. When I see a list of features with no link to corresponding benefit that feature delivers, what vs. why. I cringe. Who gives a crap if it has a hemi, people want to be pinned into the back of their seat and feel a rush of power!

I watch how my wife spends money. In my mind a lot of what she buys doesn't make sense. She likes buying trinkets or things that don't really serve a purpose other than she likes the way it looks. She's a classic impulse buyer.

When I go to a store or even buy online, I plan and/or research first. If I go to the store for a gallon of milk, that's all I'm coming home with, a gallon of milk.

It's interesting to watch people and how they spend money.

I always think logically!

At least I think I do...

But I might just be having an emotional reaction to the question...

(I think I need to go take a nap)

I must say there are a lot of excellent and thought provoking posts on this thread.

I generally think that people do not think or act logically. I attribute a lot of frustration to this sometimes. I think of myself as a "logically person in an illogical world". I regularly observe what someone else does and I cannot figure out any logical reason they would have done that. Of course I should not let the actions of others bother me.... that is not logical!