"I understand it in my head, but my feelings don't follow."
Kaito looked troubled.
"That happens often," Leo answered.
Sora became interested. "How can that be explained psychologically?"
Leo began drawing a diagram on the whiteboard. "There's a concept called dual process theory."
"Dual process?"
"Human thinking has two systems. System 1 and System 2."
Kaito asked. "What's the difference?"
"System 1 is fast, automatic, intuitive. System 2 is slow, conscious, logical."
Sora wrote in her notebook. "Like emotion and reason?"
"Close," Leo acknowledged. "System 1 includes emotional reactions. System 2 performs rational judgment."
Kaito asked for an example. "Specifically?"
"If a car suddenly comes while walking, you instinctively dodge. That's System 1."
"True, I don't think about it."
"On the other hand, when solving a math problem, you use System 2. Conscious thinking."
Sora understood. "System 1 is unconscious, System 2 is conscious."
"Correct," Leo nodded. "And these two can conflict."
Kaito leaned forward. "That's the 'I understand in my head but my feelings don't follow' thing?"
"Yes. Even if System 2 judges 'this is safe,' System 1 reacts 'it's dangerous.'"
Sora gave an example. "Like fear of heights? There's a railing so it's safe, but it's still scary."
"Good example," Leo acknowledged. "Rationally you know it's safe, but intuitively you feel fear."
Kaito shared his experience. "I'm not good at speaking in front of people."
"System 1 might perceive being the center of attention as a threat."
"But I understand in my head that no one will actually attack me."
"That's System 2's judgment," Leo explained. "But System 1's reaction doesn't change."
Sora asked. "So what should we do?"
"System 1 learns through experience," Leo answered. "Repeated safe experiences change the reaction."
"You mean getting used to it?" Kaito asked.
"Yes. Accumulating experience speaking in front of people teaches System 1 'this is safe.'"
Sora understood. "It takes time."
"Yes. System 2 understanding is fast. But System 1 change is slow."
Kaito thought. "So that's why we understand but can't do it."
"Correct," Leo acknowledged. "And that's normal. It's natural given how the brain works."
Sora asked. "Which is right, System 1 or System 2?"
"Both are right," Leo answered. "Both are necessary."
"Why?"
"Without System 1, we'd have to consciously judge everything. We'd be exhausted."
Kaito understood. "If we had to think about how to walk when waking up, we couldn't do anything."
"Exactly. System 1 is efficient. But it sometimes makes mistakes."
Sora supplemented. "So System 2 checks it."
"Yes. Balance is important," Leo emphasized.
Kaito asked. "So what's the difference between when to trust intuition and when to use reason?"
"Good question," Leo thought. "Generally, intuition is effective in familiar areas. Reason is needed in new areas."
Sora gave an example. "Veteran doctors can sometimes diagnose intuitively."
"But beginners need to think logically," Leo continued.
Kaito agreed. "Experience builds intuition."
"Correct. So the state of 'I understand in my head but' is when System 2 has learned first."
Sora understood. "Time and experience are needed for System 1 to catch up."
"Yes. No need to rush."
Kaito looked a bit relieved. "I'm not strange."
"Not strange at all," Leo emphasized. "It's a normal human state."
Sora added. "In fact, being able to understand with System 2 is progress."
Kaito smiled. "I see. I just need to accumulate experience gradually."
Leo nodded. "And value both your intuition and reason."
"Not opposition, but cooperation," Sora said.
"Exactly," Leo acknowledged. "System 1 and System 2 should function as a team."
The three looked out the window. The gap between intuition and reason. It's not a defect, but proof of human complexity. By understanding and utilizing both, better judgments can be made.
"I learned a lot today too," Kaito said.
"Psychology is interesting," Sora smiled.
Understanding the gap between intuition and reason. That was also understanding oneself.