Lateral Thinking: Things Are Easier Than They Seem

We are so used to thinking in a certain way that other types of focusing on what is happening to us become too complicated and almost impossible. The thing is, much of this way of thinking is more of an obstacle than a shortcut to doing things. To avoid it becoming a habit, we want to show you a new way to solve problems and challenges. This new way is called lateral thinking.

The term “lateral thinking” was coined by the psychologist Edward de Bono to discuss an alternative way of thinking. It is about getting out of the logical and linear way of reasoning that we usually have, so that we can look for original, creative solutions to a problem or a situation.

In this article, we will address lateral thinking, the logic of mental frameworks, and give you a series of puzzles to try to figure out. Are you ready to accept the challenge?

We are all used to logical reasoning. It means thinking in a linear way and solving problems in a row, going step by step until you solve it. Ever since you were little, people have taught you that life is made up of complicated puzzles that you have to solve using your full potential in a world full of mazes.

Of course, life is not easy and the paths in your mind are mostly a puzzle you have to learn to put together. Or sometimes it can be, to learn to stop trying. We are all used to trying to find an explanation for everything around us.

In fact, when you are in a situation where you do not have enough information, you fill in all the facts you are missing based on how you understand the world. And it will also happen based on the type of learning you have created from all your experiences.

The truth is that this linear way of thinking can sometimes cause problems when you are not able to see beyond it. No one has ever said that there are more roads than the one that goes in a straight line. Actually, you can go in any direction, and if you do, you will also stimulate your brain.

As you can see, the logic is that you go from one step to another. This way, you will get closer and closer to the answer. But in lateral thinking, one must abandon the logical process of thinking in order to solve puzzles that are simpler than they may seem.

With lateral thinking, you should stop thinking about the step-by-step method. Instead, you should think exactly as the name implies: laterally or laterally. And not all solutions are as difficult to reach as you might think. This means that you think too much about what is there and not so much about what could be there. Now let’s give it a try!

Now we’ll suggest a game to increase your intelligence and creativity when it comes to solving problems and using lateral thinking. You just need to read the instructions and then you can proceed to the work:

• Read the riddles really carefully.
• Choose which one you like best.
• Do not look for any information on how to solve it.
• If you already knew the solution, try helping someone else solve it. But do not tell him directly.
• Help everyone else reach the solution on their own.

• Have fun, comment and participate on our social media channels.

The man in the elevator

“A man lives on the tenth floor of a building. Every day he takes the elevator down to the ground floor to go to work or go shopping. When he returns, he always takes the elevator up to the seventh floor and then takes the stairs the last three floors up to his apartment on the tenth floor. Why is he doing this? ”

Death in a field

“A man is lying dead in a field. Next to him is an unopened package. There are no other creatures in the field. How did he die?”

A clue: the man knew he was going to die when he got close to the scene.

The man at the bar

A man walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a glass of water. The bartender bends down to look for something, pulls out a gun and points it at the man who just asked for water. The man says “thank you” and goes out. Why did he do that? ”

Egypt

Anthony and Cleopatra lie dead on the floor of an Egyptian villa. There is shattered glass nearby. The only witness was the watchdog. There are no marks on their bodies and they were not poisoned. How did they die? ”

The blue-eyed islanders

“There are 100 inhabitants on an island. They all have blue or brown eyes. They can see everyone else’s eye color, but not their own. They are not allowed to talk about it and there are no mirrors. And remember, there is a law that says that anyone who discovers that they have blue eyes must leave the island at 8:00 the next morning. All islanders have the same ability to think intellectually and are all completely logical.

One day someone comes to visit the island, and while looking at everyone, he says without pointing to anyone in particular: “It’s so amazing to see at least one other person with blue eyes after such a long time at sea!” What consequences does this comment have for the inhabitants of the island? ”

The monk on the ladder

“A monk leaves his monastery at sunrise and follows a path for three hours up to the top of a mountain. He stops to rest and sleep, and descends the mountain at the same time in the morning to return to his monastery.

It is possible that it would not take the same amount of time to go there as to go back, and it does not matter if he did not go the same speed or how many times he stopped to rest. The monk passed the same point on the path at exactly the same time on the way down, with a day’s difference. Why?”

The man in the elevator

The man is very short. Since he can not reach the elevator button for the 10th floor, he presses the button for the 7th and then goes up the stairs to the last floors. On the other hand, he has no problem getting down because the button for the ground floor is within reach for him.

Death in a field

The man jumped from an airplane and his parachute did not unfold.

The man at the bar

He had hiccups. The bartender could decide this because of how he talked and picked up the weapon to scare him. It worked and cured the hiccup, so the man no longer needed the water.

Egypt

Anthony and Cleopatra are two colorful fish that live in an aquarium, which was crushed by a dog.

The blue-eyed islanders

All people with blue eyes will leave the island.

If there was only one person with blue eyes, it would know that the other 99% would have brown eyes, and the person would have to leave the island.

If there were two people with blue eyes (A) and (B), the first could believe that the visitor was talking about the other person, and that only one person had blue eyes. The second person would think the same about the first person. When they see how neither of them leaves the island on the first day, they would both realize that they also have blue eyes, so they would both have to leave the island on the second day.

The same thing would happen if there are three (A), (B) and (C). This is because the first person would see how the other two do not leave the island, so that person must also have blue eyes. This would mean that all three would have to leave the island on the third day, after first seeing that the other two did not leave the island on the second day.

And so it goes on until all the blue-eyed inhabitants leave the island, no matter how many they are.

The monk on the ladder

To answer this riddle, you have to imagine that there are two monks starting to walk at the same time from opposite points. If they follow the same path, they have to pass each other somewhere… Now it seems obvious, right?

This is much easier than you might think. The thing is not to let yourself get caught up in the traps that your mind likes and to start looking from new perspectives… Lateral thinking can help you with that. Now give a new way of thinking a try!