National Science Day: The Psychology Behind Scientific Thinking

“Science is a way to ask questions and understand the world with curiosity and care,” 

This is a phrase that captures the essence of C. V. Raman, whose work on light scattering led to the discovery of the Raman Effect and earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930. Every year on 28 February, India observes National Science Day to celebrate his contribution to Physics and to celebrate science not just as a subject but as a way of thinking, exploring, and staying curious about the world. It is not just a day to remember a discovery in physics but also a day to reflect on how the mind works, how questions are asked, and how humans make sense of what they see, which brings us to a fascinating question: What is scientific thinking, and how does psychology, in particular, the study of the mind, explore it?

Scientific thinking is beyond just performing experiments or writing results in a research log; it is a way of approaching the world with questions about “why” things happen and “how” they happen, noticing patterns, forming ideas called hypotheses, and testing them in ways that can be observed and repeated, which is the essence of research across every branch of science. Scientists observe, record what they see, control some factors that might affect the results, and analyze outcomes to find answers that are not based on mere guesswork but on evidence that can be trusted. This kind of thinking is applied in branches like physics, chemistry, biology, and even social sciences because it provides a structure for making sense of what might otherwise seem random or mysterious, and it helps us to reduce mistakes, uncover new trends in data, and discover truths about both the world around us and ourselves.

Curiosity can best be described as the engine of scientific thinking because it makes us notice things that others might miss, ask questions that others might ignore, and follow ideas that might seem strange at first. And it is this curiosity that connects the process of forming hypotheses, designing experiments, and testing results. In physics, curiosity might lead to studying how light scatters or how matter behaves, in biology it can inspire the observation of plants, animals, or cells, and in psychology it draws attention to how people think, feel, and act, showing that while the things being studied may differ, the methods of exploring them are connected through careful observation, questioning, and a willingness to find answers even when they are unexpected.

Psychology is especially fascinating given that it studies the human mind, which is full of mysteries and surprises, and even though psychologists use experiments, observation, and data like other scientists, the discipline itself is unique because it is about thoughts, emotions, behaviour, and experiences that vary from person to person, so each finding is different. Any inquiry in psychology can reveal something unexpected about how humans perceive the world, make choices, or react to situations, and it shows that scientific thinking is not just about understanding what exists outside of us but also about understanding how we perceive, interpret, and respond to everything we encounter in life.

National Science Day is a time to remind us that the human ability to be curious, observe, and rely on evidence are skills anyone can practice, and that these skills grow stronger the more we use them. Scientists like C. V. Raman show that discovery is not guesswork but the result of persistent questions, extensive knowledge, and a willingness to explore the unknown, and by approaching problems with logic, creativity, and patience, we can learn more about both the universe and ourselves.

In the end, scientific thinking is a way of using the mind, not just a method used in laboratories. It helps us notice patterns, question assumptions, test ideas, and make sense of what we see, and can be applied to daily life, problem-solving, and understanding people and the world around us. It teaches us to embrace curiosity, accept uncertainty, and trust evidence, and that is why observing National Science Day is about more than remembering a discovery; it is about practicing a mindset that can help us explore, understand, and grow, just like C. V. Raman did when he made his groundbreaking discovery.