Environment can influence thought

The environment can influence thought, and sometimes it may even be the main force shaping the way people think. Our surroundings aren’t just places we move through; they send us messages about how to look at the world. For example, someone who spends a day in an art museum will walk away thinking very differently than someone who just explored an American history museum.

In an art museum, you’re encouraged to look deeper—past the surface of the painting—to figure out what the artist was feeling or why they chose to create in that way. If you practice that kind of thinking, it can spill over into real life. You might start asking why your boss made a certain decision at work or what a friend really means in a conversation. By contrast, a history museum tends to highlight role models. Seeing how figures like Benjamin Franklin constantly searched for answers and shared knowledge could inspire someone to copy those behaviors in their own life.

That raises an even bigger question: what kind of environment could prepare someone to beat a chess grandmaster, even if it had nothing to do with chess? Chess mastery takes pattern recognition, planning ahead, memory, and the ability to stay calm under pressure. Those skills can grow in other environments too. Someone who trains with military strategy games might learn to anticipate an opponent’s moves. A musician could recognize repeating themes the way they see patterns in music. Even a meditative environment could help build the focus and composure needed to compete at such a high level.

No environment alone would turn someone into a chess champion, but the right one could shape the habits of mind that make it possible to catch up fast—and maybe even surprise a grandmaster across the board.