Our minds are not really a unified entity – it’s split between reason and emotional impulse. You may have learned this idea of two minds in ancient texts on mastering the mind; often known as the “rider and the elephant” metaphor. The rider, in her best attempts, will try and control the elephant. 

However, the elephant, far more powerful and of its own will, chooses only to comply when the commands are not in conflict with its desires. The elephant is also highly protective and prone to negativity bias and reactionary reflexes. In every day terms, these are our ‘Two Minds’ that like to make snap judgments and ponder things over carefully. And they are often at odds with each other. 

These distinct systems (known in psychology as System 1 (our automatic responses that are often heuristic-based) and System 2 (our controlled responses that are rules-based). When driving a car towards a non-conflicting destination, both these systems can come in handy as a smooth road allows our automatic processes to drive without much thought, or our deliberate driver can step in if the road gets bumpy or we have to take a different route. 

However, when navigating complex decisions where there’s lot at stake, these two systems can often be at odds with each other — making us feel like the devil and angels on our shoulders are in constant battle. As creatures who tend to pay more attention to risk factors and aversion for our survival, most of us tend to weigh more heavily on negativity bias and self-criticism. 

That is why practices of mindfulness to shut down our inner critic is helpful to not only make our riders more skillful, but align our riders and our elephants towards the same desires. This exercise looks at our negative self- judgment and positive self-image when we activate System 2 and use the voice of an observer through “gossip and praise.”