The Brain’s Thinking Errors and Decision-Making Info Explained by Scientist Mueller

Veritasium Info Uncovers How Our Brains Think: A Deep Dive into Mental Shortcuts, Decision Errors, and the Science Behind Smarter Thinking

Understanding the Real Reason We Avoid Thinking Deeply

Introduction: Why We Avoid Thinking

For many people, the thinking process feels uncomfortable. Instead of embracing it, we often try to dodge it whenever possible. Even simple questions trip us up—not because we lack intelligence, but because mental effort feels unpleasant.

Let’s take a look at a common example from real-life conversations. When asked, “How long does it take the Earth to orbit the Sun?” the instinctive response is often, “24 hours?” or “A day?”—completely missing the accurate answer: a year. Why does this happen?

Because our brains are wired for efficiency—not always accuracy. We rely on quick, instinctive answers that come from a part of the mind that psychologists call System One, often without engaging the slower, more effortful System Two, which is responsible for conscious thinking.

The Bat and Ball Puzzle: A Classic Brain Trap

Consider this well-known problem posed to thousands of students in cognitive psychology studies:

A toy bat and a toy ball cost $1.10 together. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball.

How much does the ball cost?

Most people quickly say: “10 cents.” But that answer is wrong.

Let’s do the critical thinking. If the ball costs 10 cents, the bat would be $1.10, totaling $1.20. The correct answer is: the ball costs 5 cents, and the bat costs $1.05.

This mistake isn’t about intelligence. It’s about how our brain functions subconsciously. Quick answers come from System One, and System Two, which should check the answer, often stays lazy—unless forced to act.

Meet Gun and Drew: Understanding How the Brain Operates

To explain how the brain works, let’s personify these systems. Call System One “Gun” and System Two “Drew.”

Gun is fast, instinctive, and automatic. He processes all incoming information rapidly, spotting patterns, filling gaps, and acting without your conscious permission. Gun handles daily thinking habits like reading, recognizing faces, or interpreting signs.

Drew, on the other hand, is slow, deliberate, and logical. He represents your conscious awareness. Drew can solve math problems, follow instructions, and evaluate situations—but he’s lazy by nature and requires focus and energy to work.

If you’re asked to multiply 13 x 17, Drew must do the math. Gun won’t help much here.

The Memory Connection: Why Familiar Things Feel Easier

Gun depends on long-term memory—a collection of your life experiences. That’s how you instantly read a word, recognize your friend’s face, or know how to brush your teeth.

Drew lives in working memory, which is tiny—capable of juggling only about four or five new items at once. Ever tried to remember a string of random numbers? You’ll likely forget quickly unless they form a familiar pattern.

This is where chunking helps. Remembering “7102” is hard—but reversed as “2017,” your brain recognizes the year, turning four digits into one mental “chunk.” This ability is a vital part of learning and memory recall.

From Effort to Automation: How Practice Trains the Brain

Muscle memory, often discussed by musicians and athletes, isn’t really stored in muscles—it’s Gun’s handiwork. Tasks like tying shoelaces or playing piano begin with Drew’s effort. But repeated practice hands the job over to Gun.

This transition from effortful to automatic is how learning becomes skill. Practice makes the task feel effortless—not because it’s easy, but because your subconscious mind takes over. This shows the importance of mental training and repetition in developing abilities.

The Add-One Task: Measuring Mental Effort Physically

Want to see Drew at work? Try this:

Read the digits: 6 3 7 1

Then, on beat, say each digit +1: 7, 4, 8, 2

Your brain is working hard, and your body knows it. Research shows your pupils dilate during such tasks—a visible sign of cognitive load. Other signs include increased heart rate and sweating.

This experiment from psychological science demonstrates how tasks demanding Drew's attention literally change your physiology.

Why Most of Life Is on Autopilot

Surprisingly, most of our day is handled by Gun. From walking, to small talk, to daily decisions, our brain runs on automatic thinking to save energy.

But this autopilot mode leads to mistakes—like flipping light switches the wrong way after moving countries, or struggling to ride a backward-steering bicycle. These are examples of habits built into long-term memory, which even conscious knowledge struggles to override.

Back to the Bat and Ball: Where We Go Wrong

Let’s revisit the Bat and Ball puzzle. Gun notices the numbers “$1.10” and “$1.00 more,” and instinctively blurts “10 cents.” Drew—without pausing—agrees. The result? A wrong answer, based on mental shortcuts.

To solve this correctly, Drew needs to step in. But how can we make Drew more active?

The Power of Disfluency: Make It Harder to Make It Right

Here’s an unexpected finding: When the same question is printed in a hard-to-read font, accuracy improves dramatically. Why?

Because confusing presentation forces Gun to give up, and Drew has to take over. Struggling to read makes you think harder. And that increased mental focus leads to better reasoning.

This method, called cognitive disfluency, is one way researchers have found to improve decision-making and reduce reasoning errors.

How Advertising Exploits Brain Function

The advertising world understands these brain quirks well. For example, a billboard showing only “Un” with no context or logo grabs attention—not through clarity, but through mystery.

Why does that work? Because Gun can’t figure it out, so Drew jumps in. This creates engagement, curiosity, and eventually memory. It’s a strategic way to trigger your subconscious and conscious mind—a key tool in modern advertising.

Conclusion: Mastering Your Mind

Knowing how Gun and Drew operate can change how you learn, solve problems, and make decisions. To think better, you must:

✅ Recognize when you’re relying too much on automatic thinking

✅ Train Drew through deliberate practice and active learning

✅ Use mental effort to push past surface answers

✅ Engage both memory and attention when approaching problems

When you understand your own brain function, you gain control over it. You stop being tricked by easy answers and start building habits of critical thinking. Whether you’re solving puzzles, learning skills, or analyzing ads—you’ll know which system is working, and how to make it work better.