What Is the Need of Cognition?

When a person enjoys thinking, mental games, and intellectual pursuits this is called a need of cognition. The term arose in the 1980s when social psychologists developed tests that measured this need. Formal recognition of the trait has led to interesting studies on other characteristics that may be associated with it.

The individual identified as having a need of cognition will greatly enjoy thinking and feel satisfied when working on difficult mental problems. Some activities a person of this type might like are math or word games, reading, or playing strategic games like chess. Individuals who strongly possess this trait often seek jobs that allow plenty of thinking or problem solving. If, however, work is not mentally challenging, individuals may fill time spent on menial activity with extra thinking about philosophy, politics, or other subjects.

It’s interesting that people of this type are seldom bored because they may be thinking at all times or pursuing some activity that allows them to think. Even in sleep, need of cognition is sometimes expressed by very lucid dreaming. A few studies have shown this trait corresponds to lower levels of television viewing.

Some research on this personality trait evaluates its interaction with attempts at persuasion. Those with need of cognition can be persuaded of things if arguments are strong and make sense. On the other hand, they’re less likely to be swayed by some traditional types of subtle persuasion like appearance, which affects others who don’t possess this trait.

Good-looking politicians, for example, wouldn’t be able to persuade people in this subgroup merely through good looks. This trait means individuals usually discard sense impressions to focus on arguments. In general, people of this type may be called open-minded because they want to think through an argument before they accept or dismiss it.

There are now formal ways to identify need of cognition, though readers of this article probably already have a sense of whether they fall into this group. Actual testing, which is available online, asks people to score statements measuring this trait. The total score determines the test results. It should be noted that people who love to think aren’t necessarily better thinkers; it’s just something they enjoy. Not having a need of cognition isn’t perceived as negative or a sign of lesser intelligence.

Since the 1980s, numerous social psychology studies have evaluated many different aspects of the need of cognition. The trait has been looked at to determine if it affects how people vote, or how they shop. Known information about this subgroup of individuals is also tested to determine what sales tactics might be most appealing. In relational psychology, studying how people with a need of cognition relate to and are perceived by others is also a fertile area of inquiry.