We all have blind spots. These are aspects of ourselves we can’t see, no matter how hard we look. Maybe you react defensively in meetings without realizing it, or you struggle to recognize patterns in your relationships, or you simply can’t focus long enough to understand your own motivations. These cognitive blind spots aren’t character flaws—they’re a natural consequence of how our brains work.
But what if you could train your brain to become more self-aware? What if the same neuroplasticity that lets us learn a new language could also help us see ourselves more clearly?
The answer lies in cognitive training, and it’s changing how people approach personal growth.
What are cognitive blind spots?
Our brains are designed to process the world efficiently, not accurately. Every second, your brain is flooded with 11 million bits of information, but your conscious mind can only process about 40 bits. To survive this information overload, your brain creates shortcuts—patterns, biases, and filters that determine what gets your attention and what gets ignored.
These shortcuts are called cognitive biases, and while they’re essential for functioning, they create blind spots. As explored in Eleni Stephanides’ article about all humans having blind spots, we’re often unaware of these limitations. As a result, you might:
- Miss important feedback because you’re filtering out anything that contradicts your self-image
- Struggle to recognize how your behavior affects others
- Remain stuck in repetitive patterns without understanding why
- Fail to notice your own emotional triggers until they’ve already hijacked your day
This is where self-awareness comes in. True self-awareness isn’t just about introspection; it’s about training your brain to notice what it normally filters out. And that’s exactly what cognitive training does.
How cognitive training works
Cognitive training exercises, such as memory challenges, attention tasks, reaction-time games and problem-solving puzzles, aren’t just about improving your score. They’re about strengthening the neural networks responsible for:
- Attention and focus: Learning to direct your mental resources intentionally
- Working memory: Holding multiple pieces of information in mind simultaneously
- Cognitive flexibility: Shifting perspectives and adapting to new information
- Processing speed: Responding more quickly to patterns and changes
- Executive functioning: Making conscious choices rather than running on autopilot
When you train these cognitive functions regularly, something remarkable happens: you develop meta-awareness. You start to notice not just what you’re doing, but how you’re thinking. You catch yourself mid-pattern. You recognize your own biases more quickly. You become aware of being unaware, which is the foundation of genuine growth.
The self-awareness connection
Here’s the science: Self-awareness isn’t a fixed trait—it’s a skill that develops through practice and attention. Neuroscientists have found that people who engage in regular cognitive training show:
- Enhanced activation in areas associated with self-reflection (such as the medial prefrontal cortex)
- An improved ability to distinguish between their thoughts and external reality
- Better emotional regulation and impulse control
- An increased capacity to recognize and adjust unhelpful thinking patterns
As James Farwell highlights in his piece about becoming aware of being unaware, this shift in consciousness is transformative. When you train your brain’s core cognitive functions, you simultaneously enhance your ability to observe yourself thinking.
This has profound implications for personal growth. Every moment of clarity—when you suddenly understand why you react a certain way, or recognize a pattern you’ve repeated a hundred times—is a moment of cognitive and emotional development.
From blind spots to breakthroughs
Here, let’s consider a few real-world applications of the ideas presented above.
Relationships
A woman realizes she dismisses her partner’s input during disagreements—not intentionally, but because her brain has tuned in to “defending” mode. After three weeks of attention-training games, she catches herself mid-interruption and pauses to listen. That one moment of awareness transforms a conversation.
Work
A manager notices he always gravitates toward employees who work like he does (quick, visual learners). Cognitive flexibility training helps him recognize this bias and appreciate different working styles, which makes him a better leader.
Personal growth
Someone struggling to break a habit realizes that they never actually see the trigger before acting. Processing-speed training, combined with mindfulness, helps them develop just enough of a gap between stimulus and response to make a conscious choice.
These aren’t dramatic transformations. They’re the quiet, consistent breakthroughs that occur when your brain can finally see what it was missing.
Simple and practical cognitive training
The most beautiful part? You don’t need expensive therapy or years of meditation practice to start developing these skills. Cognitive training can be as simple as:
- Playing memory or attention-based games for 15 minutes daily
- Doing brain puzzles that challenge your usual thinking patterns
- Going a different way on the same commute to work to force your brain to pay more attention
- Learning something new that requires sustained focus and adaptation
The key is consistency and progression. Your brain adapts to what you practice. Easy games provide comfort, but no growth. Challenging games that push your current capacity create the neuroplasticity that’s needed for real change.
It’s not just about productivity
Many people approach cognitive training as a way to improve their memory or their ability to focus for productivity’s sake. And it does do that. But the deeper gift is what happens to your relationship with yourself.
As you develop greater self-awareness through cognitive training, you’ll strengthen four specific attributes you probably already possess in some degree.
Compassion
You’ll come to understand why you do what you do, which will make it easier to forgive yourself if you make a mistake.
Authenticity
You’ll be able to see the difference between your true values and patterns you’ve inherited from others and your environment.
Agency
Where you might have previously felt like things happened to you, you’ll now be able to see your role in creating your experiences.
Wisdom
You’ll develop the capacity to learn from your experience instead of repeating potential mistakes.
This is what blind-spot reduction really is. It’s not about seeing a flaw and fixing it, but instead, it’s about developing the mental clarity to see yourself fully—flaws, strengths, patterns and all—and consciously choose who you want to become.
Virtually anyone’s brain is trainable
Your brain didn’t come with an instruction manual. For most of us, self-awareness has been hit-or-miss, and likely includes a few moments of clarity scattered among years of operating on autopilot. But neuroscience now shows us that self-awareness is trainable.
The blind spots that have held you back aren’t permanent. They’re simply areas where your brain hasn’t yet developed the capacity to perceive. If you train those capacities, something will shift. You won’t just think better—you’ll see better. You’ll see yourself more clearly, and that clarity is the foundation of genuine personal growth.
Your brain is plastic. Your awareness is trainable. Your blind spots are waiting to become breakthroughs.
The question isn’t whether you can develop greater self-awareness. The question is: Are you ready to start training?
Medical disclaimer: This page is for educational and informational purposes only and may not be construed as medical advice. The information is not intended to replace medical advice offered by physicians. Please refer to the full text of our medical disclaimer.
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image: Hans
