All great achievements of science must start from intuitive knowledge. I believe in intuition and inspiration. At times I feel certain I am right while not knowing the reason.

Albert Einstein

Because of their very nature, science and logical thinking can never decide what is possible or impossible. Their only function is to explain what has been ascertained by experience and observation.

Rudolf Steiner

Can you be too logical?

Yes, you can be too logical. Happiness can only be felt when all our faculties are expressed and when all our elements are in harmony with each other. Being too logical — too identified with one’s mind — can lead to perfectionism, loneliness, detachment, or lack of creativity.

Some of us are predominantly logical; some of us are predominantly emotional. That is, primarily guided by the mind or one’s emotions.

This is normal and should never be “fixed” as long as there are no extreme imbalances. Being logical to the point where the mind suppresses all other faculties is an example of such an imbalance.

Logical person vs emotional person

  • In decision making, a logical person will prefer to base their choice on data — numbers, statistics, and facts. That is, things that have already happened and that can be measured. An emotional person, by contract, will take into account their own feelings and intuitions about the decision, as well as future possibilities.
  • In relationships, those who are highly logical may be more detached, controlled and/or controlling than those who are predominantly emotional. This puts them in a safer, less vulnerable position although there can be a price to pay as well, for example lack of empathy or involvement.
  • When communicating and expressing their own ideas, logical people will tend to state objective facts and then use objective arguments to back them up. By contrast, emotional people will tend to prioritize people’s feelings, including their own, and use words that reflect that, e.g. “I feel”.
  • In their career, logical types will be more inclined to professions such as programming, accounting, data analysis, and anything related to data and numbers. They will also be more likely to stick to a certain job or career path rather than experiment. Emotional types will be drawn to the arts, teaching, psychology, etc.

Potential disadvantages of being too logical

1. Repressed emotions/feelings

Train a specific muscle group long enough and it will become bigger and stronger; by contrast, a long period of inactivity will make it smaller and weaker.

The same applies to our mind. Meditate, read, and constantly learn new things and you’ll become more intelligent; do nothing all day and your mind won’t be as sharp.

This is true for body and mind, but that’s not all there is. What about our emotions, feelings, and intuition? Some would say, what about our heart and our soul?

Those who are too logical may tend to ignore or even repress their emotions (often unconsciously), as a defense mechanism — so that the mind can take control.

The issue is that by not getting in touch with your emotions for so long, eventually your ability to feel those emotions in the first place may decrease.

2. Lack of creativity

Think of a masterpiece — painting, sculpture, song, or any other work of art — that is truly original. Think of a creation that has been revolutionary, that has changed the world.

True creativity is rare. Almost everything you see and hear around you, including ideas, is basically a copy of something else. It’s easy to copy, but very hard to create.

Why? Because the mind alone (that is, thoughts alone) cannot conceive anything that is completely original. The rational mind can only observe, learn, prove, and measure things.

What does true originality, then, come from? It is the result of powerful intuitions. And where do these intuitions come from? We don’t really know.

The second potential disadvantage of being too logical and too identified with one’s mind is that one may listen exclusively to it and fail to hear the magical voice of intuition, and feel the creativity that comes with it.

3. Poor decision making

This may sound paradoxical. After all, people who are very logical and who have a higher than average IQ tend to be right most of the time, and are quite good at the art of decision making.

Yet the more complex and more important the decision, and the more the potential factors involved, the harder it is to decide by pure reasoning.

For example, a truly life-changing decision may affect all areas of your life, perhaps the lives of those around you as well. And the mind itself cannot provide a clear answer, a definite yes or no.

Here’s where intuition comes into play; intuition as well as your own emotions and feelings. “What do you think about it?” becomes “how do you feel about it?”

And here’s the thing — a decision made by using reason alone may look perfectly fine on paper, but only because people’s feelings are not taken into account.

4. Lack of human connection

We relate to others primarily through our emotions. You feel you belong to a certain group; you don’t think you do. You feel love and affection; you cannot think or believe it.

As I wrote earlier, one of the risks of being too logical is that over time one may become detached from their own emotions. In turn, this can create a sense of detachment from other people.

It’s true that we tend to attract those who are like-minded — that is, people who share the same thoughts, views, opinions, and outlook; in other words, a similar mind.

Yet thoughts alone are not enough. There has to be a deeper emotional connection. Not just in relationships, but with friends as well. Logic alone could never create spontaneous, genuine, fulfilling relationships.

5. Perfectionism

The mind’s greatest error is that it strives to control the flow itself rather than its own movement within the flow. This is one of the main causes of the majority of problems and disappointments that people face.

Vadim Zeland

The fifth potential disadvantage, or risk, of being too logical is that there is a thing called perfectionism and need for control. It’s a trap, and one that the mind is drawn to.

The rational mind wants things to be orderly and predictable, and strives to be in control as often as possible, so that the environment appears safer.

Don’t get me wrong — this, in itself, is not a bad thing; it is simply survival (100,000 years ago as well as today). However, try to control everything and life, paradoxically, becomes ridiculously difficult. 

Have you ever noticed that perfectionists and control freaks tend to always have problems? One would think that the universe, or some hidden forces, dislike them so much they fill their existence with obstacles.

In realty, it is simply their attitude. The logical mind finds it difficult to surrender and let go, yet it’s often the only way to live harmoniously. After all, we don’t need to control life — we can trust it instead.