Deep Thinkers and Overthinkers - What's The Difference

Deep Thinkers and Overthinkers:
What's the Difference?

5 minutes
Are you an over thinker or a deep thinker? There's a clear difference
between one approach and another. In fact, your psychological well-being
depends on you practicing just one of them. We reveal which it is.
Last update: 14 June, 2022
Deep thinkers and overthinkers: is there a difference between

these two types of thinking? The answer is yes, quite a lot, in
fact. However, most of us frequently oscillate between the two.
In fact, our thinking mind is like a factory that never closes.
Furthermore, it often doesn’t work in the most optimal and
efficient way.
You spend a lot of time inside your own head. For example, you
think about what you did yesterday, today, and what you’ll do
tomorrow. You get lost in the labyrinths of the decisions you
need to make, in the dreams you want to achieve, and even in
the useless kinds of thoughts that have no meaning at all.
Almost without realizing it, you fall into the excessive ruminant
cognitive approach. (https://exploringyourmind.com/reduce-
rumination-and-worry/) This exhausts and frustrates you,
wastes your time, and gets you nowhere. What’s worse, it
intensifies your psychological discomfort.
Therefore, how can you cultivate a healthier and more beneficial
mental approach to your journey through life? Let’s take a look.
“Intelligence is not only the ability to reason; it is also the ability

to find relevant material in memory and to deploy attention
when needed.”
-Daniel Kahneman-
Mental well-being depends on our ability to practice slower, deeper thinking.
Thinking deeply allows you to better calibrate your compass

and make the most suitable decisions. On the other hand,
overthinking leaves you in the same place as you were and
drains you mentally. Therefore, it’s obvious that the healthiest
and most adequate cognitive strategy is the one related to deep,
slow, deliberate, and analytical thinking.
However, and here comes the problem, you don’t use it as much
as you should. In fact, you have a tendency to analyze and
respond to most situations with a quick, intuitive, and
subconscious mental approach. That’s because life goes
extremely fast and you need to act quickly in the face of every
stimulus.
When a challenge or problem arises, you get stuck. That’s when

your rumination machine turns on, the one that turns things over
a thousand times, regurgitates them, and then chews them
again. It isn’t easy to apply a more reflective and economical
mental perspective, knowing when to slow down and to stop
reinforcing those irrational and unhelpful ideas.
We’re all both deep thinkers and overthinkers at times. However,

we need to promote the former and control the latter. Let’s see
how.
Thinking too much makes you sick
We’ve all had to deal with difficult experiences. At these times,

it’s really difficult to stop thinking about certain things. In fact,
no one is exempt from being an excessive thinker on these
kinds of occasions. That’s because negatively valenced
emotions intensify this tendency.
Dr. Susan Nolen Hoeksema was one of the great experts in the
field of rumination. In one of her studies,
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26158958/) she claimed that
excessive thinking often leads to depression.
It’s also often the trigger for eating disorders (ED)

(https://exploringyourmind.com/about-eating-disorders/) and
other mental health problems. So, how can it be avoided?
Here’s some advice:
Be aware that overthinking and ruminating don’t solve

problems.
Try not to think about things so much. Select only your useful
thoughts and ideas. Discard those that only bring you anxiety
and worries.
Thinking deeply or deliberately

The deep thinker is one who reasons and qualitatively analyzes
different variables, obtains valuable conclusions, and acts on
the problems that surround them. They have a skillful mind to
make contact with their emotions and regulate them, connect
with their own needs, and establish various responses to the
same problem.
What differentiates between a deep thinker and an overthinker?

What strategies should you develop to promote the first,
healthier approach? These are the keys:
Practice self-reflection (https://exploringyourmind.com/self-

reflection-key-personal-growth-emotional-freedom/) and
problem-solving.
Manage your emotions and don’t block yourself with

obsessions, fears, and irrational thoughts.
Talk with other people to obtain different perspectives. This

helps you relativize your problems, broaden your focus, and
reduce stress.
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5579396/)
The deep thinker knows how to regulate their emotions to make use of a more rational
approach.
Deep Thinkers and Overthinkers: Which One

Are You?
Most of us think too much. We do it because our brains have an

almost innate tendency to focus on the negative,
(https://exploringyourmind.com/seven-tips-to-help-you-
become-less-negative/) in the form of problems and threats
from our environment. Our brains don’t care if we’re happy or
not, they just want us to survive and, consequently, urge us to
worry almost continuously. However, worrying too much isn’t the
answer.
Faced with these types of almost instinctive mechanisms,

there’s only one option: to develop a more conscious and
rational approach. You have to think better, more slowly and
deliberately, with greater meaning and purpose, drawing up
plans and devising ten solutions to every challenge.
This requires daily commitment and effort, but doing so will

certainly be worth it. Indeed, you must take care of what
happens in your mind because everything that happens there
determines your life.
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Deep Thinkers and Overthinkers:

What's the Difference?

Last update: 14 June, 2022

Deep thinkers and overthinkers: is there a difference between

“Intelligence is not only the ability to reason; it is also the ability

Mental well-being depends on our ability to practice slower, deeper thinking.

Thinking deeply allows you to better calibrate your compass

When a challenge or problem arises, you get stuck. That’s when

We’re all both deep thinkers and overthinkers at times. However,

Thinking too much makes you sick

We’ve all had to deal with difficult experiences. At these times,

It’s also often the trigger for eating disorders (ED)

Be aware that overthinking and ruminating don’t solve

Thinking deeply or deliberately

What differentiates between a deep thinker and an overthinker?

Practice self-reflection (https://exploringyourmind.com/self-

Manage your emotions and don’t block yourself with

Talk with other people to obtain different perspectives. This

Deep Thinkers and Overthinkers: Which One

Most of us think too much. We do it because our brains have an

Faced with these types of almost instinctive mechanisms,

This requires daily commitment and effort, but doing so will

It might interest you...

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