原文地址：https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-expand-my-ability-to-think-deeply/answer/Lukas-Schwekendiek
Thinking deeply is something that comes through a lot of practice. Most of which is due tothinking outside the box.The question is: How can you learn to think outside the box and therefore expand your ability to think deeply?
Be open to everything:Everything could be possible. How do you know something is impossible or untrue? Even most experiments and studies only go after asignificantcorrelationwhich means that thereshouldbe a connection between the variables that were studied. That being said, Scientists of all sorts are so sure of the studies that one study that disproves it is enough to throw all other experiments and studies overboard! And if someone says they “saw god” how do you know they didn’t? That doesn’t mean you have to believe it, but at least be open to the possibility!
“What if…?”:You should think about this with everything you disbelieve and believe in. What if it is actually true? What if it is actuallynottrue? What will happen? What will change? How will it affect your core values and beliefs? Question everything you believe or disbelieve at least once. See what kind of an impact it will have. You will start to think more deeply about yourself and about the wayyourworld works. And, as a bonus, you can then decide which beliefs you want to adopt. My tip: Pick the ones that empower you!
Rephrase it in your own analogy:Write it in your own words. Say it in a different way. Think about the problem, belief, or whatever you are thinking about long enough so that you can make a different analogy for it. Your brain will start creating all kinds of pathways and connections so it can interact more with itself. This will make it easier for you to combine different areas of your brain in thinking about certain other problems.
Meditate more often:Meditation gets you in a very deep, relaxed state right off the start. And, although the main point of meditation is toceaseall thinking, you will still think about some things. These things that youdothink about will be on a very deep level right away, due to your relaxed state. As our energy increases we tend to think faster and switch between topics at a higher rate, and just the opposite is true when relaxing and slowing down. Instead of switching topics and thinking fast we think deeply about the thoughts that show up. Practicing Meditation is one of the best ways to increase your ability to think deeply.
Sit by yourself and think for a while:Just think deeply. Go outside, or sit in your favorite room and think. Let your thoughts wander and, when you found an interesting one, explore it to the limit. See how far you can take a thought. A great way to practice this is to copy the children that always ask “Why?”. Askwhyuntil you do not know why you think that way anymore, and then try your best to answer thatwhythat you can’t answer right away!
Breathe deeply and drink more water:Our brain uses the most Oxygen and Nutrients out of any other organ in our body. It is a supercomputer that is not fed with electricity and if we let it starve then it will perform as slowly as a supercomputer without enough electricity. Be sure to drink enough water so that oxygen can reach your brain faster, and be sure to breathe deeply so you have more oxygen to go where it needs to.
Practice Mind games:There are a lot of Apps and Games out there that publicize that they will increase your intelligence, or get you a higher IQ score. It doesn’t matter whether or not this is true, what matters is that playing these games practices your ability to switch thinking and to think faster. Even though this isn’t allowing you to think deeper, what it does is it practices your mind to be more efficient, allowing you to reach deeper levels of thinking sooner!
Solve logic puzzles:There are a lot of hard puzzles out there and theywillpractice your logical reasoning skills quite a lot. You will be put to the test and will have to think deeply about the problem. Know that there is always an answer and that you can get it. Do not get help and try them as long as they take. The reward for figuring it out is substantial in terms of joy and thinking skills!
Philosophy:Philosophical Discussions are, without a doubt, the best ways to get you to start thinking deeply. If you can get in a group of people, or just one person with you, and then you discuss anything from ethical dilemmas up to impossible situations, you will learn to think more deeply. Not only will this practice your ability to stay open-minded, as the situations are impossible to begin with and it is all about your opinion, but you will also be confronted with a lot of other Points of View that you have to address in your schemata. Grab your best friend, or a group of friends, and find some interesting philosophical topics to discuss!
