Reinforcing Action Over Thought: How to Move Beyond Overthinking
Using Radical Behaviorism to Break Free from the Thought-Action Gap
These days, we're often told to look within for the ultimate source of truth. But what happens when our thoughts create more confusion than clarity? As a self-proclaimed “overthinker” and trained behaviorist, I’ve been reflecting on this while reading Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen. In doing so, I’ve started to analyze my own thoughts—what we in behaviorism refer to as covert behaviors.
Radical behaviorism, developed by B.F. Skinner, extends beyond the study of overt, observable actions. It includes private events like thoughts and feelings as part of the observable and measurable phenomena of behavior. Though thoughts and feelings aren’t visible to others, they are behaviors that can be changed.
Skinner proposed that these covert events follow the same principles as overt behaviors. He argued that thoughts and feelings don’t cause behaviors, but are behaviors themselves—subject to the same scientific methods of analysis and change.
Both internal and external behaviors, such as thinking and feeling, are shaped by our environment. While we often focus on changing external factors, what if we shifted our attention to these internal processes?
As Skinner famously said:
“Thinking is behaving. The mistake is in allocating the behavior to the mind. What is felt or introspectively observed is not some non-physical world of consciousness, mind, or mental life but the observer’s own body.”
— B.F. Skinner, About Behaviorism (1974)
I’m only on Chapter 7 of Nguyen’s book, but I’ve already experienced how thoughts can act as barriers to action—especially for those who struggle with perfectionism, procrastination, and other traits that prevent action. The alignment between Nguyen’s message and Skinner’s concept of thoughts as covert behaviors struck me: if we recognize thoughts as behaviors, then we can change our internal processes the same way we modify external ones.
Overthinking as Covert Behavior—and the Action We Can Take
In behaviorism, thoughts are often dismissed due to their internal nature. But from a radical behaviorist’s perspective, thoughts are covert behaviors. This means when we’re stuck in the never-ending cycle of overthinking, we can view that rumination as a behavior and intervene.
Action Over Thought
Nguyen’s key message so far is that progress is action-based, not thought-based. Instead of focusing on what we think, we should focus on what we can do.
Practical Steps to Shift from Overthinking to Action:
Record Data on Your Internal Thoughts
Start by observing your thoughts as behaviors—notice patterns, triggers, and the moments when they prevent you from taking action.Reinforce Small Actions
Reinforce yourself for taking even small steps toward action. By doing so, you start to break the cycle of overthinking.Reward Action Over Rumination
Use reinforcement to celebrate moments when you act instead of getting stuck in overthinking loops.Learn to Let Go
Nguyen offers an insightful exercise: What if, for just one day, you didn’t think about work at all? From a behaviorist perspective, this constant thinking about work is reinforced by internal attention—creating a cycle of negative reinforcement.Consider the dreaded "Sunday Scaries." We spend the whole day dreading the workweek, and as a result, we mentally remain at work. But when we let go of that obsession, we often feel less anxious, still get our work done, and the world keeps turning.
This exercise highlights a profound concept: by disengaging from overthinking, we free ourselves to focus on action. It’s a simple, powerful approach that aligns with both Nguyen’s message and Skinner’s radical behaviorism—turning thoughts from barriers into behaviors we can change.
As I continue reading Don’t Believe Everything You Think, I’m discovering even more ways to shift from thought to action, especially for those of us who tend to overthink. Nguyen’s practical exercises, combined with the principles of radical behaviorism, provide a powerful toolkit for anyone looking to break the cycle of overthinking and perfectionism.
In the upcoming chapters, I’m excited to explore how these ideas can be applied even further—whether in managing stress, improving productivity, or simply finding more peace in our daily lives. Stay tuned as I dive deeper into the practical strategies Nguyen offers, and how we can use behaviorist principles to reinforce meaningful action.
