Outside the Box Thinking: The Nine Dot Problem
Jan 3 Written By Mary Liwanag
People can look at the very same situation and have very different take aways. Taste in music and art are good examples of this. Look at the drawing below. What do you see first? I saw the faces first, but you might see a vase.
Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin created this image in 1915.
Have you ever gathered more information about something and then changed your view of it? The situation has not changed, your mind has changed. To quote Jon Kabat Zinn’s book, Full Catastrophe Living, “All life is fascinating and beautiful when the veil of our routinized thinking lifts, even for a moment.”
Here’s an exercise that highlights our default reponse to situations. It’s called The Nine Dot Problem.
Can you connect all the dots by drawing 4 straight lines and not lifting your pencil, or retracing any lines?
Draw nine dots on a paper and try it. Answers are below.
When I tried this, all I got was frustrated. I thought, “Oh my God, why can’t I be clever? What is this?” But that’s the point of the exercise. I was part of the majority of people who see the nine dot square as the limit of the solution. Solving the problem requires looking outside the box.
Changing my limited beliefs and default responses is an incremental process. Yet, each “aha” moment widens my lens. Reframing how I see situations has helped me in my relationships and in yoga. For instance, I am currently nursing a wrist injury. Previously, I took my wrists for granted. This morning, I worked with various arm positions to relieve the pressure. I even added some new arm movements to my lunges. The new positions are painless, effective, and even aesthetically pleasing. If I hadn’t hurt my wrist, I would not have taken the time to work on wrist variations. I started out being frustrated with my wrist, but now, surprisingly, I am grateful.
Want to read more about changing your mind and mindfulness? Check out Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn. For information on certification in MBSR (Minfulness Based Stress Reduction) and FAQs click here: https://www.ummhealth.org/umass-memorial-medical-center/services-treatments/center-for-mindfulness/mindfulness-programs/mbsr-8-week-online-live
Nine Dot Problem Solutions
