"That's Weird" - Understanding Our Reactions to the Unusual

We’ve all been there. You learn something new or encounter something unexpected and you aren’t quite sure how to categorize it or explain it. So what do you do? Almost instinctively, you dub the thing “weird” and move on with your day.

This common reaction reveals far more than it may seem about the intricate inner workings of cognition. According to cognitive scientist Dr. Paul Thagard, we are constantly taking in sensory information, using our existing mental frameworks to sort these inputs into meaningful categories that help build knowledge and comprehension. This explanatory coherence helps us interpret everything we experience. *

So what exactly happens when the brain comes across something incongruous that evades explanation? This cognitive mismatch offers a glimpse into how knowledge construction succeeds and fails in the face of new stimuli that don’t neatly align with prior understanding. By looking at the mechanisms behind calling things “weird”, we can shed light on learning processes and the updating of worldviews at both individual and societal levels.

The Meaning Behind “Weird”

In the moment we dub something weird, a few cognitive processes seem to unfold simultaneously. First, we take in novel, unexpected information that does not connect clearly with our pre-existing categories. Essentially, it does not match what we thought we knew to be true about the world based on prior experience. With no easy explanation available to reconcile the new observations with old frameworks, our brain hits a wall. Rather than coherence between existing knowledge and new inputs, we feel only confusion. This state of uncertainty sits uncomfortably with our preference for order and explanatory models.

Lacking a better descriptor in the moment, “weird” bubbles up as a temporary label to acknowledge the incongruity at hand that resists neat categorization. The term encapsulates the anxiety, surprise, or general feeling of being caught off guard that arises when assumptions about reality are violated. We rely on this familiar vocabulary to acknowledge anomalies before moving forward, often without resolving the underlying discord immediately.

While initially unsettling, these moments of declaring something weird highlight important opportunities to evolve understanding. According to Dr. Thagard’s explanatory coherence theory, the trouble we have explaining new information signals where our current cognitive maps inadequately reflect updated realities. As learning organisms, leaning into instead of automatically avoiding that which evades our explanatory powers can unlock discovery.

The Evolutionary Nature of “Weird”

Researchers in fields like cognitive linguistics have traced usage patterns of the word “weird” itself over recent history, noting evolving areas deemed incongruous at different times, especially around science and technology. As new innovations stretch knowledge to its breaking point, they seem weird at first. But over time, terminology and mental categories adjust to integrate once-bizarre concepts into accepted reality.

For instance, early computers and their capabilities exceeded prior frameworks. But as society gradually developed more fluency around computing technology, the field’s edges expanded. Things once dubbed odd or unthinkable became mainstream. Still, the cutting-edge innovation continues disrupting existing explanatory models, earning the moniker of “weird” before eventually settling into renegotiated norms. The evolution of fields like quantum physics and AI shows a similar pattern. The inconceivable becomes conventional through knowledge advancement.

Moments of incongruity offer clues as to where collective understanding stands. When faced with something weird, we would do well to ask why it elicited this reaction. What exactly fell outside my existing categories here to generate uncertainty?

Practical Implications

Understanding the underlying mechanisms behind processing the weird has significance beyond intellectual curiosity. Leaders in business and education can derive practical insights from recognizing the trajectory that radical ideas often follow.

Entrepreneurial thinkers understand that innovations initially deemed weird frequently redefine markets. Unconventional visions meet doubt and skepticism at first. But by anticipating rather than avoiding temporary confusion, creative leaders can create breakthroughs. They know progress depends on regularly questioning what still qualifies as weird within a field as better frameworks emerge. Pockets of unresolved weirdness represent opportunities waiting for paradigm shifts.

Similarly, fluency with weird unknowns marks a critical skill for learners navigating a world of accelerating information. Education that exposes students to productive, growth-oriented struggle when encountering incongruent or confusing ideas better equips lifelong, agile learners. Being willing to explore unexpected ideas keeps our thinking flexible.

Next time something strikes you as weird, consider pausing longer with the feeling rather than hurrying to dispel it. Ask what specifically fell outside your known categories here.? What might reconciling and exploring this incongruity reveal? ? Nurturing curiosity helps us continuously update our mental frameworks and nurture growth.

*"Mind: Introduction to Cognitive Science" is authored by cognitive scientist Dr. Paul Thagard.?

Thagard, P. (2005). Mind: Introduction to cognitive science (2nd ed.). MIT Press.