Dr. Arthur Brooks explains metacognition as moving emotional processing from your limbic system to your prefrontal cortex so you can think clearly. Counting to 10 when angry, journaling, vipassana meditation, and cognitive behavioral therapy all work the same way: they give your brain time to engage executive control.
Metacognition is a set of techniques that will move the experience of your emotions from the limbic system into the prefrontal cortex, where you're in charge. And there's a whole bunch of ways to do that. Some are simple, like, you know, when you're angry, count to 10. When very angry, count to 100. There's a bunch of other ways to do it. Meditation techniques in the karmic religions are very much about that. So vipassana meditation in the Theravada Buddhist tradition is where you're. You're observing your own emotions at a certain remove, as if you were a third person. And what you're doing is you're using your prefrontal cortex. Examine your limbic system, other ways to do it. You know, people do are supposed to do that in cognitive behavioral therapy. So they go to the therapist, and the therapist said, let's get in touch with what's really going on with your emotions, and let's find a way to manage your emotions. Another way to do that is journaling. You can't write with your limbic system. Once the pencil is in your hand and you're writing down, you know, dear diary, I'm feeling angry at my spouse today. It's in your prefrontal cortex, and it's a lot less threatening. And my favorite is prayers of petition when it's on your lips. Lord, this is what's going on in my life. That's executive function, man.
