The Complexity Edge

The Complexity Edge

Why Some People Make Your Mind Work Better

5 ways certain people (maybe you?) make thinking feel effortless for others—and how to get more of this in your life

Lindsey Mackereth's avatar
Lindsey Mackereth
Feb 17, 2026
∙ Paid

Collage by Lindsey Mackereth. 2026.

You have probably met one.

Conversation with them feels different almost immediately.

Your thoughts arrive faster.
Your sentences become more precise.
Ideas connect mid-conversation
instead of hours later when you are alone replaying it in your head.

You leave feeling mentally awake rather than depleted.

Nothing dramatic happened. They did not give advice, or solve anything, or even said that much yet your thinking moved differently.

Many people interpret this as chemistry, compatibility, or shared intelligence, but something more subtle is occurring.

Certain relational conditions increase access to thinking.


5 Signs of Cognitive Amplification

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