7 unusual things to know about creativity

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The authors of Made to Create: Uncovering the Secrets of the Creative Mind, Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire, have identified unusual origins for non-trivial ideas.

Everyone knows the fact that techniques such as meditation unleash our creativity. However, there are less obvious but equally powerful ways to help yourself think more creatively.

Wandering in the clouds. Fooling around. Aimless curiosity. Grief from the loss of loved ones. All this causes us mostly negative associations. But in fact, it affects our creativity in an amazing and positive way.

Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind by Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire provides an extensive and accessible overview of recent research into creative thinking. It contains many examples from the life of celebrities and real historical figures. Here's what the authors of the book found.

1. To 72% of people, insight comes in the soul

It really works! When we stand naked under a stream of hot water, really brilliant thoughts often come to our minds. Perhaps the shower stall isolates us from others and creates a meditative effect, which makes it a kind of incubator for new ideas.

This way of increasing creativity is actively promoted by Woody Allen. And he is far from the only one. According to a 2014 study, 72% of respondents from around the world confirmed that they had some kind of enlightenment in their hearts. This is probably due to the next discovery of Kaufman and Gregoire.

2. Introverts know a lot about creativity

Working in groups can be very productive. However, studies show that our brains come up with the best ideas when we are alone. It is at such moments that we are capable of constructive reflection - a state of consciousness that is extremely important for creativity and the generation of ideas.

When all stimuli from the outside world are "turned off", our brain better builds certain connections, remembers the necessary details and processes information.

3. You get more creative when you try something new

Openness to new things increases your creativity. For example, The Beatles made a radical breakthrough in music, experimenting with different sound effects and new and unusual instruments like the sitar and mellotron.

Beat writers like Jack Kerouac were not afraid to disregard literary canons and were able to form a whole new direction.

It turns out that this connection has a scientific basis. The craving for novelty is associated with the work of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which, among other things, is also associated with motivation and learning new skills. It also promotes psychological flexibility, the tendency to accept and learn new things.

Many of the studies mentioned in the book suggest that the desire to explore this world in all its manifestations is probably the main personal factor that determines creative achievements.

4. Sometimes you should trust your intuition

For those interested in medicine and psychedelic culture, the story is well known of how chemist Albert Hofmann discovered LSD and then went on the famous first-ever acid trip. But few people know about another fact: for the first time he synthesized LSD-25 (one of several chemical combinations that he subsequently created) five years earlier, but did not reveal anything interesting for himself.

After five years, Hofmann returned to experimenting again. Why? As he said, he was overcome by a "premonition".

This type of intuition is a subconscious signal that was trusted by Steve Jobs (by the way, he was also a fan of LSD). Jobs believed these signals were more powerful than intelligence.

Intuition led to the creation of a substance that has had a huge impact on music and popular culture. Even the CIA was interested in LSD, which conducted a series of serious studies of its effect on consciousness.

Sometimes it is difficult for us to even imagine how great the power of the subconscious is.

Intuition and the sudden insights associated with it are still poorly understood, but they are of great interest among neuroscientists and psychologists. According to research published in the journal American Psychologist in 1992, the processes that take place in the subconscious can indeed operate much faster and have a much more complex structure than conscious thinking.

5. Psychological trauma gives amazing results

Frida Kahlo, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Truman Capote, Robin Williams, Jerry Garcia … Many famous creative personalities are united by one fact: they have experienced bereavement, grief (death of their parents or a loved one) or received serious psychological trauma, which had a huge impact on their activities.

Psychologists call this phenomenon post-traumatic growth. Our thinking often adapts to difficult events for us in such a way that it finds new non-trivial solutions to problems. This is a kind of part of the process of "restructuring" of life, when in order to survive, you have to give up your old habits. This opens up new perspectives, changes priorities and views on what is happening.

Many scientists have devoted their work to the study of post-traumatic growth. For example, a study published in 2014 in the Journal of Traumatic Stress P. A. Linley, S. Joseph. … showed that 70% of people who managed to successfully survive some kind of traumatic event experienced positive psychological changes.

6. Our brain likes it when we dream

Of course, during an important meeting, you should not be mentally stuck on your imaginary island of happiness. However, dreams have a wonderful effect on our creativity.

When in your workplace you fancy a castle trampoline with corgi puppies frolicking inside, or revive the best moments of your last vacation, you may not be feeling more productive. However, by doing these seemingly pointless things, you start interesting processes in the brain.

Psychologists have been studying positive-constructive daydreaming for decades. As scientists say, such a hovering in the clouds creates a kind of incubation period for our thoughts and creative ideas. It also has a positive effect on our long-term planning ability and boosts our self-confidence.

7. Some of the best ideas are generally ridiculed at first

There are many examples of discoveries or ideas that were initially rejected and then recognized and accepted. Everyone knows the sad stories of Galileo Galilei and Giordano Bruno. Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis put forward a radical assumption for the 19th century that infections are spread by bacteria. After that, he was fired from his job and sent to a psychiatric hospital.

Resistance to something new, unconventional and contrary to tradition is part of human nature.

In 2009, Scientometrics published a paper that presented examples of ideas from Nobel laureates that were initially criticized by the scientific community. This study demonstrated the systemic nature of skepticism towards theories that challenge current scientific understanding.

Psychologists at Cornell University have confirmed that we tend to be biased towards non-trivial ideas that seem impractical to apply. This trend appears to have deep roots.

Back in the 50s of the XX century, scientists found that people most often agree with an opinion approved by the majority. According to this study, rote memorization and following clear instructions, which we are taught in school, also destroy our ability to think outside the box. According to Kaufman and Gregoire, teachers encourage just those students who are less inclined to be creative.

It turns out that creativity can be developed, and it is not always difficult. Follow your intuition. Dream. Give yourself some time to be alone with yourself if you feel like you need it. Try to make positive experiences even from unpleasant experiences. And don't be afraid to be ridiculed. Who knows, suddenly your idea will turn this world upside down.