A ‘slow thinker’ is not a bad learner. Here’s why.

On May 1, 1852, a boy was born in the town of Petilla de Aragón, Spain.

His father, a Professor of Applied Anatomy at the University of Zaragoza, expected his son to follow in his footsteps and develop a passion for the sciences.

But the young boy had other dreams. He wanted to become an artist—and he wasn’t bad at it. In fact, he was quite talented.

His works have even been displayed in museums to this day. However, they weren’t showcased as the creations of a professional artist.

His father, unimpressed by his son’s artistic aspirations, pushed him to pursue medicine instead. (Little surprise there.) Reluctantly, the boy obliged.

That boy grew up to become Santiago Ramón y Cajal, a pioneering neuroanatomist and the father of modern neuroscience. His groundbreaking work earned him the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

By today’s standards, many would consider Ramón y Cajal a genius.

But in his published reflections, he attributed his success not to genius, but to its absence.

He believed his achievements stemmed from perseverance, curiosity, and a willingness to take his time—qualities often overlooked in a world that glorifies speed and brilliance.

Race Car Driver or Hiker?

Not everyone thinks the same way or at the same pace. Some students struggle with working memory, making it difficult to convert short-term memories into long-term ones.

Ramón y Cajal was one such student.

We’ve all been there: sitting in class during a recitation, watching the kid at the front answer questions at lightning speed. It’s easy to feel overshadowed.

Barbara Oakley, a professor and expert on learning, identifies two types of thinkers:

• Race car brains: These learners process information quickly, often providing rapid, yes-or-no answers.

• Hiker brains: These learners take their time to fully grasp a question before offering a thoughtful, detailed response.

In a classroom setting, where timed tests are the norm, race car thinkers seem to have the upper hand.

But this doesn’t mean hiker thinkers are at a disadvantage. In fact, one could argue that hikers have the greater advantage.

While race car thinkers zoom from point A to point B, they often miss the details along the way.

Imagine being a passenger in a fast-moving car: the world outside is a blur.

You might mistake a rock for a tortoise because everything moves too quickly to process.

Now, picture a hiker moving at a slower pace.

Yes, the race car reaches the destination faster, but the hiker notices the finer details—like the fact that the “rock” is actually a tortoise.

This is the strength of the hiker brain, or what many call the “slow thinker.”

By taking their time, hikers build stronger connections and retain more information. They don’t just arrive at the answer—they understand the journey.

The Race Car Driver’s Pitfall

While fast thinkers may arrive at answers more quickly, speed doesn’t always guarantee the best answer.

Ego often plays a role here.

Race car thinkers, confident in their abilities, may jump to conclusions without fully considering the problem.

Hiker thinkers, on the other hand, take the time to observe, analyze, and reflect. They see the trees, feel the leaves, and notice the little things that race car brains miss.

Recall the fable of The Hare and the Tortoise. The hare, much like a race car driver, is overconfident in his speed. He assumes victory is guaranteed, only to lose the race to the slow and steady tortoise.

“The race is not always to the swift.” — Aesop’s Fable, The Hare & The Tortoise

The hare’s downfall isn’t just his overconfidence—it’s his failure to appreciate the journey.

Similarly, learners who rush to answers without understanding the underlying concepts often find themselves lost when faced with more complex problems.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Up to this point, we’ve focused on the benefits of being a slow thinker.

But this isn’t to say that fast thinking is inherently bad. In fact, we all possess a mix of both race car and hiker tendencies, depending on the topic.

The key is to approach learning with the mindset of a hiker.

No one has a monopoly on knowledge, and being “fast” in a subject can sometimes lead to a false sense of mastery.

The real value lies in the details—the journey from point A to point B. It’s not enough to know the answer to a specific problem. True learning comes from understanding the “how” and “why” behind it.

Consider the hare and the tortoise once more. The hare’s lesson is one of humility, while the tortoise’s is a testament to perseverance.

The tortoise may lack natural speed, but his determination and steady pace ultimately lead him to victory.

“Perseverance is the virtue of the less brilliant.” — Santiago Ramón y Cajal

Your Ego is the Enemy

In every attempt to learn, we must remember that learning is about more than answering quickly.

It’s about substance over speed.

It’s better to take your time and truly understand a concept than to project an image of genius when there’s none to speak of.

Time is precious, but as the fable reminds us, the swiftest don’t always win. The tortoise didn’t just win the race—he won before it even began.

By embracing the hiker’s mindset, we can achieve lasting success in learning and in life.