[NT] The Creativity Crisis

[Blank]

I couldn't think of a better subforum to put this, so:

The Creativity Crisis - Newsweek

When you try to solve a problem, you begin by concentrating on obvious facts and familiar solutions, to see if the answer lies there. This is a mostly left-brain stage of attack. If the answer doesn’t come, the right and left hemispheres of the brain activate together. Neural networks on the right side scan remote memories that could be vaguely relevant. A wide range of distant information that is normally tuned out becomes available to the left hemisphere, which searches for unseen patterns, alternative meanings, and high-level abstractions.

Having glimpsed such a connection, the left brain must quickly lock in on it before it escapes. The attention system must radically reverse gears, going from defocused attention to extremely focused attention. In a flash, the brain pulls together these disparate shreds of thought and binds them into a new single idea that enters consciousness. This is the “aha!” moment of insight, often followed by a spark of pleasure as the brain recognizes the novelty of what it’s come up with.

I really like the explanation in the second paragraph, because ironically enough, I zoned out while I was beginning to read this (because a badass idea for a video game popped into my head) and when I came back to, it described exactly what had happened.



Comments about the article/personal experiences in creativity & dealing with people are welcome.

 

[InsatiableCuriosity]

My first thought is They can stop medicating the creatives into mediocrity just because the world of linear thinking doesn't hold their attention!!

In all seriousness tho, I would be very interested indeed to see stats on this compared to previous cradles of creativity hot spots, and any data that could indicate the percentage increase in ADD/ADHD diagnosis and medication.