Best Of: The Power of Thinking Outside Your Brain

The idea that our minds are confined to our skulls is a myth, argues Annie Murphy-Paul in her book *The Extended Mind*. Drawing on stories from Charles Darwin, Jackson Pollock, and trader John Coates, she reveals how all three achieved breakthroughs not by thinking harder in their heads, but by extending their minds into the world: Darwin through journaling, Pollock through moving to nature, and Coates by listening to bodily signals. The episode dismantles the myth of the brain as a solitary, self-sufficient processor and instead presents a radical new vision: we are not just thinkers, but thinkers who depend on our bodies, our environments, our tools, and each other. From using gestures to unlock ideas, to designing workspaces that reflect our identity, to leveraging group debate as a collective intelligence engine, the evidence shows that our best thinking happens when we offload, move, and connect. The modern world demands more cognitive capacity than our biological brains can handle alone—so the solution isn’t to push harder, but to think outside the brain. The most powerful takeaway is that collaboration isn’t just efficient—it’s essential. Our brains evolved for group thinking, not solitary genius. The so-called 'individual breakthroughs' of history were actually the result of hidden networks, conversations, and shared knowledge. When we force people to work in isolation, we’re not honoring human nature—we’re sabotaging our own potential.