You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Or as we'd like to say, a mature dog. That proverb may be muttered in reference to people that can't seem to change their patterns of behavior and opinion. While probably not intentional, many people just get stuck in their ways of doing things and in their ways of thinking. But according to an article written by James Clear, there is a way to train your brain to think in new ways: expand your set of mental models.

Ok, so what is a mental model? Mental models are deeply held beliefs that help you interpret the world and understand the relationship between things. They are concepts, frameworks, and worldviews that help explain how the world works and they guide your perception of things and the way you behave. A good example is the mental model of supply and demand, which helps you understand how the economy works. Another

You can think of a mental model as a tool that helps you solve problems and make decisions. The more tools that you have in your toolbox, the more things you'll be able to fix, solve or understand.

When you have a problem, sometimes different tools can fix it. Maybe one tool is best, maybe not. This holds true for mental models. No single mental model is perfect or works for all problems. As historian Yuval Noah Harari said, “Scientists generally agree that no theory is 100 percent correct. Thus, the real test of knowledge is not truth, but utility.” The mental models with the most utility are thought to be the best and they are used broadly in daily life to help you make better choices.

As you grow older or as you become an expert in a certain field, you tend to favor familiar mental models and use them over and over. Clear warns against this, pointing to the proverb, "If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." Sometimes expertise is a limitation.

Each mental model is just one view of the world. The big ideas from disciplines like biology, chemistry, physics, economics, mathematics, psychology, and philosophy are where the most important mental models come from. Each mental model will contain some truth, but no one mental model contains the complete truth. If you can master the fundamentals of each discipline, you'll have a more useful and accurate picture of the world. By learning and engaging in new mental models, you'll start to see a fuller picture of how the world works. You'll widen your cognitive range of motion.

The full article has more details and is quite interesting, so check it out if you're interested in learning more.