thescienceofdeductionn

[thescienceofdeductionn]

Biases 3-Illusory Correlation

This one is really tricky. It is hard to differentiate because it is very similar to inductive reasoning. Let's start.

What is it?

Illusory correlation, also known as illusory correlation bias, is the tendency to perceive a relationship between two variables when none exists. This cognitive bias often arises because the association aligns with our expectations or is amplified by the distinctiveness of certain events, making them more memorable and salient in our minds.

Automatically we find some connections between 2 events. Sometimes we do it consciously, sometimes unconsciously. We think A causes B. The reason might be past experiences or just accepting the information when it was given to us.

Examples

Most famous examples could be related to superstitious people. Some people think that black cat means bad luck while some people think it is good luck. Both of them find a correlation when there is none.

Another example is quality=cost. When something is more expensive we assume it is because of the quality.(For example, even though Nike shoes are high-quality shoes, it doesn't mean cheaper brands are less-quality shoes.)

Connection with Inductive Reasoning

Inductive Reasoning suggests that if A caused B a lot of times, next time A will most likely cause B again. It uses past experiences and patterns to arrive at a conclusion.

The problem is also Illusory Correlation uses past experiences. If 2 things happened at the same time before, we assume they will occur together again.

How to Avoid it?

After being aware of the possibility of this bias, we can ask ourselves "Why do I think they are connected?" If you can find an answer that is different than "Because I've seen them together before." than you can decrease the influence of the bias.

Another way to decrease the effect is having more experiences on the subject and also learning more. That way, you won't see unrelated connections between distinct data.

There is more to talk about this one but trying to keep it short. See you on the next one.

[thescienceofdeductionn]

Biases 2-Anchoring Bias

Here we are with another bias. This one could be one of the most important ones because of 2 reasons:

1-It affects every deduction you make.

2-You don't be open to new information even if it conflicts with your deductions.

Let's hope that after learning this bias, we can be more aware of the effects and shape our thinking in a better way.

What is the Anchoring Bias?

The anchoring bias is a cognitive bias that causes us to rely heavily on the first piece of information we are given about a topic.

That's the definition on the internet but basically, first information stays with you all the time and affects every step of your deductions.

Examples

You meet with someone and you are trying to deduce them. The moment you see them, there are already some prejudices about this person on your mind. You might think they are married because they wear a ring or they are right-handed because they carry the phone in their right pocket.

After this point, you will make your deductions based on them being married or right-handed. If some data suggest the opposite, you will either ignore it or change it and suit it to your previous deductions.

That means, if you can't manage this bias, you will go where it leads you and not where you supposed to.

Another example is if you've decided that someone is a liar, every time they tell you something that doesn't make any sense, you will determine it as a lie.

Effects

-You are going to be less receptive and less open to the new information.

-You are going to arrive at a completely different(maybe even opposite)conclusion.

-You are going to be at risk of Confirmation Bias.(We will talk about it next time.)

How to Manage the Effects?

You can start with being aware.(This applies to all biases.)Then, you can check the first information and decide if it is correct or wrong before moving forward.

The important part I realized is that every time you come to a conclusion, check if it is connected to the first information or not. Connection doesn't definitively mean you are wrong or you were affected by Anchoring Bias but it is a possibility.

So, just be aware of the first interactions/information/deductions and move forward accordingly.

“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” -Sherlock Holmes

[thescienceofdeductionn]

Biases 1-Baader-Meinhof Effect

This is the start of a new post series. From now on, I will share biases with examples from daily life. "Why?" could be the question on your mind. Because biases are the first thing that shape your deductions. So, if we are aware of them, we can at least try to decrease their effect.(We can't delete them. Only we can control them.)

If you are ready to face yourself and ready to change it, let's start with the first one: the Baader-Meinhof Effect.

Let's say you went shopping for shoes. You saw a brand new model of shoes you've never seen before and thought "Wow. That's a brand new model." You left the shop and went home. A few days later, you start to realize that a lot of people have the same shoes you have. The first thought is: "This shoe is starting to become popular. Everybody buys it nowadays." And here is the bias.

The real reason you started to notice this shoe model is because you've just bought it and your brain became aware of it. Then, started to show it to you everywhere you go.

This bias is also called:

-Frequency Illusion -Selective-Attention Bias

-Recency Illusion

You can apply it to everything you've just become aware of. So, how can we as "Deductionists" use it to our advantage and be aware of the dangers?

First of all, the biggest danger is the effects on your deductions. If you've read or learned something, you will have more tendency to see the situations in the way you learned them. For example, married people wear a ring on their ring finger. When you learn that, you will notice a lot of rings on people's fingers and you will be more likely to see all of them as married. So, whenever you learn something new, be aware of that.

And now, how to use it to our advantage? If you can learn something and you can start to notice that a lot, that means if we learn a lot of information about the things we see in daily life, we will be more aware of them. If you learn all of the shoe brands and models, whenever you go out you will notice the shoes and you will also know the model. That means you are going to miss less information.

So, start learning and noticing more. Just be careful about the ways it can distort the information. That's all for this post.

[thescienceofdeductionn]

Mindset Part 9-It is about you??

Lately, I've been thinking about mindset because most of the things I face in life are connected to my mindset. So, I want to talk about some parts of mindset that could help us improve at deduction.

1-Acceptance

If you want to analyze a situation, a person or anything, you need to accept what comes along the way. If you refuse to face what you see then you won't see what is in front of you. You need to be open to every possibility.(Even if it shakes your world and beliefs.)That's how you can analyze and decide whether it is true or not.

Stoicism might be helpful here. Stoicism is mostly based on accepting and controlling what we can. First, you accept whatever you face and then control the parts you can.

2-Emotional Qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning

If you don't accept the fact that you have emotions, then they will ruin your observations and deductions every time. Again, acceptance. Everybody has emotions and that is not the problem. The problem is that you need to be aware of them and minimize their effect.

It is connected with acceptance because mostly, emotions are barriers to acceptance. They want to accept everything that supports them and refuse the rest.(Confirmation Bias) So, welcome your emotions, be aware of them and face them.

3-Don't underestimate yourself, you are capable

If someone can run 100m in 9 seconds, that probably means another person can run it in 9 seconds. If someone can finish a book in 5 hours, that also probably means another person can finish it too.

My point is, we are all human. We can improve and be better at everything we do. Of course, we have our limits but most of the time you draw the limit to yourself. Most of the time, your schemas about yourself make you think you can't be better at something.(Most common examples: Math, remembering names, being rich etc.)

Again, acceptance. Accept that you might have a limit. But that doesn't mean you can't push yourself and see that limit. We don't even know if we can reach our limits in 70 years. So, be a lifelong student and don't worry about your limit. Just improve every day and see the results.

For now, that's all. See you soon.

"Education never ends Watson. It is a series of lessons with the greatest for the last."

-Sherlock Holmes

[thescienceofdeductionn]

I'M BACK

“For once you have fallen low. Let us see, in the future, how you can rise.”

I have been catching up on what I missed in the Deduction community. It has been a long time since my last post but here I am. From now on, you can be sure that you will get many posts on deduction. If you have any questions or topics you would like to discuss, ask me. For now, I'll leave you with that. See you soon.

“Come, Watson, come!' he cried. 'The game is afoot. Not a word! Into your clothes and come!'

[thescienceofdeductionn]

using all 5 senses in observing and deducing is a pretty well known tip I think

for one, sometimes there are sounds with a source we can't see, so we only know about them through sound

we also can't *see* how things taste or feel (though we can get a vague idea through sight)

a less obvious part of this is that multiple senses can be used at the same time - deducing is sometimes visualized as a step-by-step process where each step happens in succession, and that's mainly to help beginners learn - eventually, the thought process goes faster and can overlap *because* we overlap our senses in everyday life

for example, the other day i was walking through my neighborhood

i was focused on the sky, and to the right, not to the left - i was watching the sky for a few things, and then dragging my hand across the stone wall to the right, so that's already using multiple senses at once

im walking and i realize i smell honeysuckle, so i look around and realize to my left is a line of honeysuckle bushes

had I been looking All Around, I'd have seen the honeysuckle and not even needed to smell it (since I know what honeysuckle looks like), but my eyes were preoccupied elsewhere, and I'd have missed the bushes if I hadn't been able to smell them in place of seeing them

so, point here is yes sight is probably what you're focused on when deducing, but while you're looking around using your eyes, stay aware of any noises or tastes or textures that pop up in your periphery

[thescienceofdeductionn]

Nonverbal Communication Conundrum

Finally, here we are. For a long time, I wanted to talk about NVC.(Nonverbal Communication) After seeing @studies-in-the-art-of-deduction and @theconsultingdeductionist posts about NVC, I decided to share with you what I think. Get ready because you will hear what most people don't say. (By the way, don't let it shape your judgments in both ways.)

Basics

When you first start reading about NVC, authors make you think that you can read someone like a book if you read a book and practice for a while. (Which is very far away from the truth.) I am not against these books because they can give you the basics that you need. You should know how people could act when they are under stress. You should know some examples of liars and honest people so you can use your data bank when you make deductions.

If you have been practicing NVC for more than 1 year, maybe you have started to realize that something is missing. There are some problems with that.

How can we think that we can read someone like a book? What is the proof? Why can't we spot psychopaths after reading about psychopaths and their body language? (We know that the rate of psychopaths in the population is %1. So, there is a high chance you already met with a psychopath in your life so far.) Because humans don't function the way we think they do. It is not an equation like A=B or even A+B+C=D.(Closed gesture+Palm Hiding+Fidgeting+Disgust Micro Expression=LIE)

So, let's see how we can go deeper on NVC.

Context

In deduction, the most important thing is(no, I don't exaggerate)THE CONTEXT. You have to eliminate everything extraneous and work with what you have. This is important when you analyze NVC too. You have to be aware of the environment and the people around you so that you can deduce what NVC means. If you don't, then you will be biased and won't be able to achieve the right conclusion.

External and Internal Factors

When you see 2 people watching the same thing and one of them claps, leans forward and smiles while the other person stands still, what would you think? From the NVC and according to the books we should be able to say that one of them is excited about what they watch and the other person doesn't want to watch. Let's analyze some possibilities:

1-Hiding

What if the second person hides the excitement? We don't see any excitement on NVC but that doesn't mean there are none. What if there is some fidgeting(fidgeting happens because they are suppressing the excitement)and you read it as nervousness or lying?

2-External Factors

What if the weather is too cold and that's why they don't want to move a lot? What if that's the reason why they sit with closed arms and you read it as not being receptive?

3-Internal State

Let's say, they watch this show with their siblings but last month, they lost one of the siblings. Now, they are watching it with another person and they are thinking about the sibling. Would that mean they don't feel any excitement or would that mean the internal state affects the NVC?

As you can see, there are a lot of possibilities as to why they don't show any excitement.(Other than they don't feel any.) Now we understand that we can't just read a book and apply it directly to the person. We have to consider a lot of factors.(We will talk about those in the future.)

Some factors to consider:

-Environment

-Internal State

-Past and Future(What happened in the past and what will happen in the future?)

-Gender, ethnicity, race etc.

-Psychological Factors

So, what do you think? How can we go deeper on NVC? How can we change our perspective about NVC? I will talk more about this topic in the next posts. Especially about Micro-Expressions.(Wait for it. You will like it.) That's all for now. See you later.

[thescienceofdeductionn]

Give it a try. You will look differently at the micro-expressions.

Rethinking Facial Expressions

Hello. In today's post, I'll introduce the intriguing topic of facial expressions. Certainly, facial expressions have captivated psychologists as an area of research. Pioneered by scientist Paul Ekman, investigations into facial expressions have uncovered their universal nature across various cultures. For instance, the wide-eyed expression is universally recognized as a sign of fear, irrespective of cultural background, suggesting that fear, along with other emotions, is universally recognized and expressed. However, there are several criticisms of this theory. Firstly, Ekman and his colleagues primarily used static and exaggerated images in their research. In real-life interactions, facial expressions are more dynamic, and these emotions may not be as overt as depicted in these pictures. Secondly, researchers often employ the forced-choice paradigm, where participants must select from predetermined options, with only one deemed correct. For instance, when presented with a picture showing narrowed eyebrows, participants are asked to choose between happiness, anger, surprise, sadness, fear, or disgust. This method restricts participants from freely expressing their interpretation, assuming that these emotions are fundamental and that there is only one correct response.

Consider a specific scenario where a child displays a particular facial expression. In the image on the left, participants are presented with a question asking, "What emotion is this person experiencing?" and must choose one option from a provided list. Conversely, in the image on the right, the question is open-ended: "What emotion is this person experiencing?" Interestingly, this alteration in methodology significantly impacts the responses provided by participants.

Using still images, devoid of body language cues and featuring exaggerated facial expressions, significantly deviates from real-life interactions. This prompts the question: in order to accurately gauge people's perception of emotions from facial expressions, should we employ more natural and dynamic expressions, such as video clips? Interestingly, it turns out that the primary function of facial expressions is not to "express" emotions. Furthermore, even if their function were indeed to express emotions, we lack a reliable method of measuring individuals' true feelings. It's crucial to recognize that your experience of fear may vastly differ from mine, and even your own experience of fear varies depending on the context. To effectively study facial movements, it's essential to place them within a context and examine the specific function they serve in that particular moment.

This is where the theory of facial movements takes a new perspective. Researchers like Alan Fridlund introduced a fresh interpretation of facial displays, emphasizing their external function rather than their internal significance. Known as the behavioral ecology view of facial displays, this theory explores how we employ facial movements to influence others. For instance, a smile may be used to elicit friendliness from others, while a wide-eyed expression may serve to deter potential threats. However, the emotions we experience during these moments can vary significantly. According to the behavioral ecology view, our focus lies in understanding the type of behavior a specific facial display is intended to elicit. Importantly, a single facial display may serve multiple functions, with its purpose differing from one situation to another. This implies that we shouldn't automatically infer specific emotions from other people's facial expressions, as newer studies indicate a minimal association between facial movements and emotions.

E.g. Imagine you're at a restaurant with someone and you ask them how they liked the meal. Their narrowed eyebrows indicate their assessment of the meal itself, rather than reflecting their emotional state. Seeing this display on your friend's face, you might reconsider ordering that dish in the future!

"Our facial displays are not about us, or what is inside us; they are about you. They are about signaling our contingent next move in order to alter yours." - Alan Fridlund

Notice how the focus shifts from merely interpreting facial expressions to a more dynamic and functional perspective. In future blog posts, I'll explore the intricacies of this shift in greater detail. Once more, a big thank you to all the readers for dedicating your time to reading this content.

[thescienceofdeductionn]

Here comes the "body language". I want to add my and other people's experiences with body language. You probably won't like it but I would like to hear what you think.

First of all, I think it is mostly used in the wrong way and it mostly works with "Confirmation Bias". People think body language is a science and due to that, they interpret the information to confirm themselves. Of course, when people get nervous they show us some signs but that doesn't work in the same way books tell us. Especially Joe Navarro tells "stories" to us. He says he caught a lie from the suspect because of only 1 sign. In real life, here is my experience:

Almost in every conversation with everyone, that is how it goes. They talk for a couple of seconds and they show some nervousness, even if it is little. If we talk for 10 minutes that means they will show around 200 signs. Let's say in some moments they show 3-5 signs and in some moments they show only 1 or 2 signs. How would you know when they lie? If we could figure out all of the lies and match them with the moment they told a lie, we would see that some of them told with 1 or 2 signs and some of them 3-5 signs.(Maybe there will be some lies told with 0 signs.) Then how in the world could we say that more signs=lies? It doesn't work in harmony. So, what should we do?

Pay more attention to details, not body language. If you improve your logic, you won't need body language that much most of the time. So, you won't be at risk of wrong interpretation. Also, be aware that you see what you want to see and if you want to see deception signals, then you will see a lot .

That would be really efficient and useful if we could just watch someone and tell if they are lying or not but we can't. Don't fall into the trap of your biases and use your logic carefully. That's all for now but I will make posts in the future about Body Language.(Gotta do my research.) See you later.

Don't know if you have before, but could you talk a bit about body language and deductions? Thank you

Hello! I think i've mentioned the subject before, but i've never talked about it in depth, mostly because i'm not particularly well versed in body language. I used to know people who also had blogs who were very knowledgeable in it, so if they become active again i'll make a post about it. That being said, as i've been writing this response i've had to be very careful to not get into any details i'm not sure about or give any advice that may be wrong. So i've decided to keep my response fairly vague while still giving as much advice as i can.

So body language falls into the non verbal communication side of deduction, along with microexpressions, and both should be treated similarly. Body language and facial expressions (and their corresponding microexpressions) are ways that our body has of relaying what we feel or think in any given moment, a lot of the time involuntarily, this means that like with every other language, we need to learn to not just read it, write it, and speak it, we also have to learn to interpret it. There's a plethora of books and resources out there that teach you how to read body language, what certain movements, poses, and reactions indicate about a person's state of mind, so i'm not gonna go into that here, actually it's probably the easiest part of deduction to find information on. What i am gonna touch on is what to then do with that raw information

Similar to all the other parts of deduction, once you interpret body language, get all the information you can about someone's reactions, state of mind, emotions, ideas, feelings, etc. you have to start asking yourself what this information means. Knowing that someone's uncomfortable is only useful if you know why, and that's where deduction comes in, sometimes it's as easy as noticing that the body language shifts once a certain person comes into the room, or a certain topic is mentioned, other times you have to do a bit more digging, after all that person who triggers body language that indicates discomfort may do so because they're someone's boss, or because they're their partner and they had a big fight recently, or because they've harassed the person in some way, or a plethora of other reasons.

Now how to do that is the hard part, i can't give any advice that's specific to body language, but i have talked about how to go deeper than the raw information you can observe about someone before, so i'll link those posts here. While i'm not well versed in body language it's not a big leap to assume that due to the nature of the advice i give in these posts, they could be applied to information gained through reading body language:

Deduction: Passive or Active

Changes and Deductions

Chess and Deduction

Binaries

I also recommend the book What EveryBODY is Saying by Joe Navarro, it's a very good resource to learn body language.

Hopefully this was useful! I encourage you to look more into body language and study it in tandem with deduction, maybe you can make your own posts explaining these topics!

[thescienceofdeductionn]

Good one. I made a deduction last week from texting so here it comes. I know this man's baseline very well. He talks with me in an informal way. He generally texts wrong letters because he doesn't care enough to correct them. Last week, he texted me in a more formal way, he texted very neatly and he was very kind.(Normally he is not.) Also, it seemed like a girl was texting to me and he said in a message "I am driving." I deduced that he was busy and he told his girlfriend to text to me. They were on a road. So, yeah. You can deduce from texting too.

What can you deduce from someone without photos? Is it possible to deduce over text/from a blog? Can you talk a bit about that?

Hello! When you say without photos i'm gonna assume you mean "without seeing them or any object they own", since you go on to mention texts or blogs, but if that's not the case feel free to send another ask!

So as always my answer to "can you deduce....?" questions is yes, yes you can. Deducing over text or blogs, or any other medium that's not physically seeing a person or their belongings, is actually not that different from normal deduction, you just have to pay attention to the details. How long do they take to send a message? how does that correlate to the length of the message they send? what wording do they use? how formal is their vocabulary? what expressions or texting habits do they use? what do they abbreviate? do their habits correlate with any age group specifically like Gen Z or Boomers? do they fit that demographic? if they don't then why are they texting like it?

Again, a lot of deduction is knowing how to break down what you're seeing into the adjacent information it implies, all of these questions have answers, that either on their own, or coupled with answers to the others, will imply certain conclusions. For example someone that's taking a lot of time to type a text that ends up sending a very short one may be overthinking how to answer, or may be busy at the moment, either of these answrs can lead you down different paths. You may be able to confirm that they're busy with some other piece of information and eventually deduce what they're doing without them ever telling you, or you might be able to confirm that they're overthinking through some other means (for example if this behavior seems to be consistent throughout a day or two of texting them), and that might lead you to know how they approach social interactions, and what they think of texting as a method of communication. If it's taking them a long time to text but they're texting in a very formal manner maybe they're not used to doing that, maybe it's taking them time to find the right ways of expressing themselves formally, which would mean they're trying to make an impression and come off as someone who is formal, when they probably don't behave like that often

Another important part of using blogs, text, or other types of methods of deduction is using baselines, if you're texting someone often you can establish what their baseline is when texting, which would allow you to notice changes in said baseline as time goes on. You might be able to tell when they're upset, or busy, or angry, and if you're able to tell that, you can couple that with extra information to get further deductions. I've been able to know when people are having sex from the way that they sent a message before starting

Blogs are kind of different, you have to treat anything a person has a chance to curate like you would treat a room, most things in there are deliberately placed, which means you're gonna get information on how they want to be percieved, anything from the color of the blog to their bio. Maybe you can find things that weren't placed in the blog on purpose, this gives you info about them that is unfiltered, could mean anything from them not being too tech savy and therefore not knowing how to set up a blog, or could be something they included in the blog that they didn't mean to, which gives you a glimpse into what they're like outside of what they're trying to present in the blog

[thescienceofdeductionn]

To See, or Not to See

Today, I want to talk about the choice. Specifically, choosing to see or not to see. Yes, Sherlock Holmes says "You see but you do not observe." but the word "see" has a better rhyme so I will go with that. My purpose with this post is to prove that you are the one who is in control (Mostly) of seeing the details around you. Let's get started.

Your Feelings Don't Matter

I talked about this before in the mindset but I want to point it out again. You can't follow your feelings, emotions etc. Why? Because like Sherlock says "All emotions are abhorrent to me. It is the grit in the sensitive instrument, the crack in the lens." They will hinder your deduction capabilities and your logic.

If you approach a new situation(or a new person like Sherlock does in this example, which we know what he miss here)with prejudices or any biases, you will see what you want to see. You will miss all the important details. So, if you want to see what is in front of you rather than what you want to see, you have to control your emotions.

Choosing to See

If you don't open your eyes physically and mentally, how could you see? That is not a rhetorical question. If you don't want to see your friend's drug habit or your favorite teacher's affair with a student, how could you be objective and act accordingly? You can't. You have to choose to see everything, even if it means you are not going to like it. You can't ignore a possibility just because you want to. If you don't have a solid reason, don't ignore it. Consider every possibility and be willing to see.

Don't Give Up

Situations won't always be on your side. They will most likely interrupt you, stop your reasoning and throw you off. You have to be ready for and reactive to the situations. If a car blocks your physical perspective and you can't observe, change your location. If you can't think creatively, change your mental perspective. Don't accept what is given to you as a certainty, always seek ways to change it.

This post is a short one but that doesn't mean it is unimportant. Apply these to your life and try to maximize your efficiency. Orient the context you are in and realize that you have the power to change it. That's all for now. See you later.

[thescienceofdeductionn]

Staying Awake!

The name can be misleading. It sounds like being aware of your environment but no. This post is literally about staying awake. Obviously not during the day but at night.

Let's say you have a lot of work to do and you want to stay awake all night but it is really hard for you even with coffee.(You will be very happy to know that there are ways to stay awake without coffee and even better ways.) You might deduce that I am writing this post while trying to stay awake all night and yes, you are right. Let's see what we can do for long night study sessions.

Coffee is one of the best drinks for a lot of people. It can help you stay awake and be more focused. But if you use it wrong, it can cause even more sleep and you would just consume coffee for the sake of consuming. Let's see some ways to use coffee.(Or any drink that has caffeine.)

1-How to Use Caffeine

First, we have to understand how it works. Normally, when you don't ingest caffeine and stay awake for long hours, adenosine will interact with receptors in your brain and make you sleepy. So, if you want to block adenosine and stay awake for long hours, you would ingest caffeine and that way adenosine won't interact with receptors. But after caffeine starts to decrease, adenosine will come at once and it will make you sleepy very fast. Especially if you ingest caffeine after you wake up. So, what can we do about that?

Don't ingest caffeine in the first 90-120 minutes after waking up. This will help you to avoid afternoon crashes and you will get more benefits from caffeine. Also, if you use it frequently caffeine won't be able to block adenosine so, you would just ingest caffeine and wouldn't get any benefits. For that, you can take a nap in the afternoon and then ingest caffeine.

2-Movement

If you just sit all night and try to stay awake, that would be very hard because your body wouldn't get any signal to stay awake. You have to move regularly, even if it just means you take a 5-minute walk. Walk, run, do some push-ups, boxing etc. Just move. You will be more energetic and focused.

3-Handstand

I would like to write it separately because it is an amazing tool. You can do it on the wall or free. It increases the blood flow to your brain and that way all of the blood on your legs from sitting for long hours spreads through your body. Eventually, it increases focus, energy and overall mood. Give it a try when you feel sleepy and you will see the power.

4-Do not eat too much

If you eat too much, your body creates signals for sleeping and it becomes very hard for you to stay awake. If you have to eat, choose some snacks rather than a whole meal. Fruits and protein bars are very effective choices. They also consist of healthy sugar so your brain will get some glycogen and work more efficiently.

5-Taking Breaks

If you feel tired after working for so long, take some breaks. But be careful when you lie down because you can fall asleep. To avoid that, before lying down, do some exercise and use alarms. Your purpose is not to take a nap but rather to rest your brain, eyes, ears and other body parts you have at your disposal.

There are a lot of amazing tools you can use but to keep it short, I will share them in separate posts. Try these and see how it goes. If you have any questions, send them. For now, that's all. See you.

[thescienceofdeductionn]

Stoic Perspective

This post will be some kind of addition to mindset, but also very important part. You might be wondering how it is related to deduction and Sherlock Holmes but even though we don't see Sherlock talking about Stoicism, he follows it in most cases. (Mixed with Cynicism which started around the time Diogenes lived.) So, let's see how Sherlock uses and how we can use it in our daily life.

Remember this episode? Season 1 Episode 3. Sherlock solves 5 cases in a row with some time constraints, stress factors, etc. In one scene, Watson asks, "There are lives at stake Sherlock! Actual human lives. Just so I know, do you care about that all?" and Sherlock answers with a brilliant answer: "Will caring about them help save them?" and Watson says "Nope." and then Sherlock says "Then I will continue not to make that mistake." Obviously, they show it like Sherlock doesn't care about anyone and is an egocentric narcissistic robot but that is certainly not the case. If you watch other adaptations(Granada, Elementary or even the books)Sherlock cares about other people, but not in a way normal people do. I am pointing out this scene because it shows us the attitude and mindset of Sherlock. Let's see how we can apply this in real life:

1-Caring without Emotions

"Emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning." -Sherlock Holmes

After watching Sherlock we shouldn't try to be like Sherlock, especially if we don't understand how he thinks. When he says, caring won't save them it doesn't mean he doesn't care. It just means it is not relevant and emotions won't help them in any way because it will cloud his thinking and deductions. So, what can you do in situations where stress is high and your emotions come to the surface?

1-Recognize them: Don't suppress or act like you don't have them. Just realize they are there and act accordingly. If you say "There is nothing wrong with me. I don't feel any emotions right now..." then you won't be aware of the affect they have on you.

2-Think Clearly: It is easy to say but hard to do. How can we think clearly? What does it mean? It means you have to use the relevant data and eliminate what is not. If you want to think clearly, you have to recognize your feelings, emotions etc. You have to be aware of them at every step so that when they are affecting your reasoning, you can overcome them and keep going.

3-Follow Your Logic

Sherlock doesn't call Moriarty after he solves the case because he wants to use time advantage. He wants to work on other cases and because of that, he doesn't call Moriarty. Watson is reacting with emotions and says this woman was covered with bombs all this time. Although Sherlock cares about the woman, he follows the logic. If he uses the time to his advantage, he can save more than one life but if he reacts with emotions, he will just save one. So, use your logic and act accordingly.

2-Perspective For Problems "External things are not the problem. It's your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now." -Marcus Aurelius

This can change a lot of things about how you see your problems. Let's say you have a lot of work to do and after a long day you are going home. When you arrive there, you realize your house is on fire? How would you react?

I believe, most of us would be full of emotions. Why did this happen to me? Why is life not fair? My life is over. What will I do now?

But if we just can change our perspective and practice it in our daily life we would have a very different and constructive response to the situation. Now, here is the perspective I am talking about:

Now think about the same scenario. You see that your house is on fire. You think "Can I do something about it?"->"Yes. I can call the fire department." or "No. It is too late. Everything is turned to ash." In both cases, you don't have to worry because it is already done. You can't travel back in time so you have to create your plans for the future. You can't waste time thinking about the past because it will limit your capacity to act on the future.

If you use this perspective in every situation, eventually it will become automatic and your emotional reactions will not be as strong as it is now. This way, you will be able to use your logic more easily and solve the problem you have.(Or you will stop worrying if you don't have a problem.) This is probably the fundamental perspective of Stoicism.

3-Expressing Emotions

I won't go deep into the Jungian Shadow or deep psychology of the emotions and suppressing etc but we have to be aware of this fact: The fact that if you don't express your emotions in some way, it will come out later bigger than it was.(Also, you won't be in control.)

If you watched Elementary, you know that almost in every episode Sherlock express his emotions to Watson.(Or to someone else. Which by the way is a more human adaptation of Sherlock.)He talks with her about what he feels and thinks about the situation because he can't deal with them alone. We can't deal with them alone too so we have to find some ways to express them. Here are some basic ones: 1-Talking to your Watson

If you have someone you are close to, then talk to them. Explain your feelings and emotions as clear as you can be.

2-Keeping a Journal

You won't always have an opportunity to talk with somebody so you need to talk with yourself clearly, which is what journaling does. You use words and getting things out of your head so you can analyze them more clearly. Just write and then read them aloud.

3-Physicality

If you like to work out, run, go to the gym or do any physical activity, do it. It is especially useful for anger and sadness. Try and find whatever works for you.

So, that is a general look at emotions and how to live with them. After you read this, you won't immediately detach from your emotions and act with your logic. This post is not enough, so you have to do your own reading. Some suggestions for reading: Meditations-Marcus Aurelius (Excellent example of journaling in a stoic way.) The Handbook-Epictetus Ryan Holiday's books(All relates to Stoicism)

And one last thing. Always remember these wise words:

"You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength." -Marcus Aurelius

[thescienceofdeductionn]

Daily Protocols

Mostly, we are talking about mindset, observation, logic etc. These are all good and important parts but we need to talk about our daily habits and protocols which either enhance or limit our skills. For this post, I will speak of caffeine, cold shower and exercise. 1-Caffeine

Caffeine has immense effects on us. I won't go deep into the neurology of it but basically, it increases the number of dopamine receptors which increase our motivation, drive and pursuit of goals. It is also very effective in improving our memory. Most consumed caffeine sources are coffee, tea, yerba mate and caffeine pills. It's all good to know what it does but protocols for achieving those effects are more important so let's see how we can use that: Before Learning

If you ingest caffeine before studying or working out, it will increase your focus, motivation and memory. Peak effects of caffeine start 30-60 min later but it is better if you ingest it in 10 min. (Don't sip it for 1 hour because the effects will be lower.)

After Learning

If you ingest caffeine after studying it will enhance your memory capacities more because memories get encoded with 3 molecules: Acetylcholine, dopamine and epinephrine(adrenaline). Caffeine will increase the effects of these molecules and you will remember what you studied before.

Note: The recommended dosage of caffeine is around 1-3 mg per kg of body weight. If you are going to use caffeine before workout you can take 3-6 mg per kg. Be careful about dosage because everybody has different genetics and adaptations. 2-Exercise

Exercise is the most basic protocol you can do for your overall health. It is especially important for your memory because studies shows that it has the most enhancing effects for memory.(By increasing gray matter and also exercise have beneficial effects on the hippocampus, a brain region particularly sensitive to age-related decay.) You can do your exercise before or after study session and it will has similar effects with caffeine. It will increase your focus and memory capacity. 3-Cold Shower

It is one of the easiest and fastest protocols to improve focus, memory, dopamine etc. It helps us to control our emotions and reactions and enhances our ability to focus even under stressful situations. If you take a cold shower after a study session, it will increase the memory encoding.(Similar mechanism with exercise and caffeine.)The release of adrenaline is going to increase your overall energy and motivation. Key Take Aways 1-If you want to improve memory encoding, apply these protocols after your study session. 2-If you want to increase your focus, apply these protocols before your study session. 3-If you want the best effects you can apply the protocols together. For example, ingesting caffeine before studying and taking a cold shower after. 4-Find the appropriate dosages/timing for you. I would like to talk about those more but it will be a very long post so I encourage you to do your research. It is important to find protocols that will help you to improve your observation and deduction skills. That's all for now. If you have any questions let me know. See you later.

[thescienceofdeductionn]

Observation 101

So, here we are. If you practiced your Mindset and Intuition, observation will be more useful for you. Obviously, in 1 post we can only discuss what is observation and how to observe better. In the future, we will go deeper and analyze scenes. For now, let's get started.

Some people think that observation is just looking around. But here is the difference: Looking around is passive, observation is active. There is something called "Passive Observation" but it is not the same as looking around.

Passive Observation: It is an automatic habit you develop. You don't actively look for details but you observe. For example, you shake someone's hand and later you can say it was a firm grip and he wore a watch even though you weren't paying attention. Obviously, details come with attention so you won't observe a lot passively.

Active Observation: You have a purpose and you channel your observation with this purpose. You want to observe as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. So, when you shake hands you don't just shake, you are trying to get a feel of his skin, you are looking for the brand of the watch etc. When you become active, more details are available to you.

Let's analyze this scene in a very superficial way. Sherlock listens to the victim's parents and while he turns his head, he notices something. He realizes that an object is not where it is supposed to be. It is just an instant intuition and passive observation. It appears he wasn't actively looking but still noticed it because he practiced observation for a long time and he can observe even when he doesn't give attention.

Obviously, we have a lot of examples of active observation so I won't go deep on that.(Basically, every scene where Sherlock makes a deduction is almost an active observation. Though, we will go deeper in the next posts.)We can't do anything about passive observation because it will come with practice. For now, let's focus on active observation.

How to Observe?

Even if you know what to look for, if you don't know how to look, it won't matter. (You will look for a watch on a man's wrist but miss the detail that it is a woman's watch. )

So, for the last 3 years, I did research about how to observe and still @amateur-deductions program is one of the best programs. 2 basic questions will increase your observation skills immensely. Those are: 1-What is missing? This question is important because like the example above(Sherlock notices what is missing, which is bust)you need to see what is not there but should be. Almost everyone buys dumbells as a pair. So, if you see a 5 kg dumbell on the ground, you should question where is the other one.(If there is another one.) If you ask yourself "What is missing?" you will see it easier.

2-What seems out of place?

You see a soldier but he is not shaved. Why? Maybe he left the military or he is lying. Whatever the case, there is something out of place and by asking "What seems out of place?" you will look for odd details. These 2 questions are not enough but very important for the foundation. In addition, never forget: “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.” Never take anything for granted.

Your brain will trick you when there is an obvious fact like that:

Wrong: This person wears a watch. A lot of people wear a watch so it is not important. I don't have to observe it.

True: I wonder what can I observe about this watch? What time does it show?

What to look for?

The answer to that question is simple: Everything. You can't take the risk of missing any details so you have to observe everything. After you observe everything, your observations will draw you a path and you will go deeper into some of them. So, observe everything.

This is a long introduction but a necessary one. In the future, we will go deeper. So, if you have any questions about observation, send them. For now, that's all. See you later.

[thescienceofdeductionn]

10/10 blog my dude, super cool

Thank you. Wait for the next post :)

[thescienceofdeductionn]

Intuition 101

Hello. It has been a while. Today's topic is intuition.(which is interesting because some people think Sherlock Holmes doesn't use intuition) We will cover what it is, what it has to do with deduction and more. So, let's get started.

What is Intuition?

It is definitely not a magical power. It is not about psychics. It is not about having a gift. It has a psychical basis and can be explained with neurology and psychology.

Intuition is the message your subconscious sends you. It takes every information it can from your senses(such as seeing, hearing, touching, etc.)and also from your memory. It is easy to explain but how does it do that?

First, it has no filter, so it takes literally everything from your environment. For example, you are walking and you pass a coffee shop. If you don't pay attention you won't see it but your subconscious will take the information, process it and send you information like: I want to drink coffee. Then 5 minutes later, you will think: I want to drink coffee. You won't even realize it is because of the coffee shop.

Secondly, it has an amazing capacity to create links and connections. Most insights of scientists and artists are coming to them because of the subconscious. For example, Thomas Edison(and dozens of other people)

Basically, the aim is: Use your subconscious. But how?

1-Meditation

When you meditate, you don't think about anything specifically. You just focus on your breath and refocus whenever you get distracted.

But here is the important part: You have to study deeply on something before you start to meditate. Read, listen, observe whatever information is in front of you and then meditate. That way, your subconscious will work behind the scenes. It will link information and data without even you realizing it and sometimes you will suddenly think of an idea. That is your subconscious sending you a message.

2-Do something automatic for you

Sherlock plays violin, boxing, goes for a walk etc. These are the automatic habits for him. You can find what is yours and do that because in those moments, your brain is in diffused mode, not on focused mode. So, information is being processed behind.

Here are the things you can try:

-Drawing, painting

-Playing an instrument

-Exercise, walking, running

-Observing art

The important thing to keep in mind is: Don't think about the information while you are engaging with your habit. It will interrupt the process.

3-Use Cues

Research suggests that if there is a light bulb in the room, people become more creative because we associate light bulb with creativity. You can change your environment to become more creative: Put art on your wall, put things that remind you of Sherlock Holmes on your desk etc.

4-Be Receptive to Changes

If you are stuck on a routine and you don't even change the route you walk or drive to places, you should. Your brain has to be in rich environments. You should show it different ways to solve a problem, ways to go etc. If you find a solution to your problem: Don't stop. Think about other solutions. Eventually, your brain will adapt to that and will be more creative.

Lay on the table, do a handstand when looking at a photo, stop listening to the same musics over and over again and listen you have never listened to before.

These are great ways to activate your intuition BUT if you forget one thing, none of these will matter. One thing is: YOUR INTUITION IS JUST AN INTUITION. It is not a certainty. Never forget that and act accordingly. Check your intuition and gather more data to support or eliminate it.

That is all for today. Probably I will do a series on Intuition because one post is never enough. Until then, keep observing and deducing. See you later.