Theory of mind
The ability to imagine that another person has their own thoughts, intentions and feelings, different from yours.
How it shows up
We use it constantly in daily life: inferring what someone meant by a message. Under stress it narrows — and then we automatically interpret other people’s behaviour to our own disadvantage.
What we do with it in therapy
With couples this is a frequent source of arguments: both are convinced they know what the other meant. The work is simple and hard at once — asking instead of inferring.
See also
Decision fatigue
A decline in the quality of decisions after a long run of choices.
Neurodivergence
A term for brains that work differently — not a defect, but another way of processing the world.
The amygdala
The part of the brain that quickly assesses danger and triggers a response before thinking kicks in.
