Alpha Brainwaves, Metacognition & Strategic Thinking
Over the past couple of weeks we’ve discussed the importance of entering into Beta brainwaves in order to enter into a state of deep focus and sustained concentration. Learning how to unlock beta brainwaves and enter into focused execution allows us to accomplish more, decrease stress, and direct our attention towards what is important.
However, we can’t be in hustle/busy mode all the time. We need to give ourselves the opportunity to reflect, learn, and be strategic. Alpha brainwaves, which measure at 8 to 15 cycles per second (Hz), tend to come about during acts of reflection or metacognition. Metacognition is when we are aware of our own thoughts. The state of reflection is crucial for learning, adapting, and strategizing.
Alpha brainwaves, which measure at 8 - 15 cycles per second (Hz), tend to come about during acts of “metacognition” - or thinking about how you think.
When we are laser-focused on something (like in Beta brainwave mode), we tend to miss the bigger picture. The Alpha brainwave state allows us to take in the full picture, deconstruct it, and engage in strategic thinking so that we can properly learn and gauge a situation. If you can pause for a moment and open your mind by reflecting on your experiences and strategizing how to move forward, you can perform at a higher level.
But how do you enter into an Alpha Brainwave metacognitive state?
To reflect, learn, think strategically, and engage in metacognition, you have to step out of focused execution mode. In this state, your body is calm. This can happen when you’re in a brainstorming session and you lean back, body relaxed, and take a moment to think. Or when you are tuning into yourself, checking in on your views and feelings, musing over an idea or event, or staring out at an amazing scene in nature. Activating metacognition requires you to relax your body while keeping your mind engaged so you can explore the things you want to achieve.
In order to get into this state, you also need to take time to yourself. In a world where everyone around us is only a click away, metacognition and self-reflection unfortunately doesn’t get the time it should. You need time by yourself to think, to consider, to plan, and to learn.
The ability to reflect and think about your task ahead is a powerful skill that will help you not just go through life on autopilot, but rather approach each task actively and with purpose. Learning how to trigger metacognition will help you switch out of busy/hustle mode, and into reflective and strategic mode.
If you want to dive deeper into the science of brainwave states, check out my book Rest Refocus Recharge: A Guide for Optimizing your Life.
What are we finding in the research?
Dr. Patricia Chen and colleagues at Stanford University were interested in studying the effects of self-reflection and metacognition on students’ grades. Specifically, they wanted to determine if students who had a strategic plan about using resources available to them, would score better than their peers. The researchers discovered that students who participated in the self-reflective exercise in which they planned out what resources they had available, why these resources would be helpful, and how they were going to use them, scored better on tests than those students who didn’t participate in the exercise.
Dr. Chen and colleagues suggest that this type of self-reflective exercise extends beyond academic performance and can be helpful for anyone to tackle a problem or goal in a strategic way.
Read the research summary here!
Figure from Chen et al. 2017. Students who participated in the self-reflective exercise (treatment condition) in which they planned out what resources they had available, why these resources would be helpful, and how they were going to use them, scored better on tests than those students who didn’t participate in the exercise (control condition).
