{"id":3801,"date":"2014-05-02T23:22:31","date_gmt":"2014-05-02T23:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bme2.flywheelsites.com\/blog\/the-science-of-ideas\/"},"modified":"2020-01-16T22:09:34","modified_gmt":"2020-01-16T22:09:34","slug":"the-science-of-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.benchmarkemail.com\/in\/the-science-of-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"The Science of Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we think of idea-generation, we think of creativity. In fact, we reiterate that illusive connection between ideas and creativity with sayings like \u201clet\u2019s get those creative juices flowing.\u201d And yes, while we know creativity is a great way to unplug your brain from the task at hand so it can romp wildly through the subconscious \u201call-spark\u201d that is your idea power-house, we also know that the subconscious itself doesn\u2019t magically come up with great ideas. The subconscious is in-fact a record keeper of everything you\u2019ve ever encountered (even if you can\u2019t actively recall the memory). In other words, the subconscious doesn\u2019t doubt. It observes, it logs these observations, and then it connects.<\/p>\n

So when we look at the science behind ideas and factor in the work of the subconscious, we find that \u201ceureka\u201d moments aren\u2019t necessarily spontaneous moments of inspiration. They\u2019re moments where the subconscious breaks through after countless dot-connecting \u2013 a point inspired from Scientific American\u2019s<\/i> article<\/a> on \u201cThe Science of Genius.\u201d<\/p>\n

The question is how to tap into this subconscious. Simply stopping your work or not thinking about a problem doesn\u2019t activate this region of your brain. The neuroscience behind this reasoning stems from the idea that you\u2019re brain is actively solving problems, and often arrives at the solution long before you\u2019re consciously aware of them. Then it willingly shares it with you. Science also encourages unplugging, which is done through creative pursuits like taking up a creative hobby<\/a> or (even) meditating. According to a Fast Company piece by Belle Beth Cooper, titled \u201cFrom Om to OMG\u201d, the latter has shown that people who did \u201copen-monitoring meditation\u2026performed better on a task that asked them to come up with new ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n

The taboos associated with meditation, particularly in a business setting, fail to see what Andy Puddicombe<\/a> points out in a TED Talk on mindfulness: \u201cMost people assume that meditation is all about stopping thoughts, getting rid of emotions, somehow controlling the mind, but actually it\u2019s much different than that. It\u2019s more about stepping back, seeing the thought clearly \u2014 witnessing it coming and going \u2014 without judgment, but with a relaxed, focus mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

The key question still remains: how does science compute this aspect of ideation? A Scientific American<\/i> blog post by Scott Barry Kaufman, titled \u201cThe Real Neuroscience Behind Creativity<\/a>,\u201d aims to answer just that. Kaufman tells us there are three large-scale brain networks behind creativity. Our concern is with the latter two, the Imagination Network and the Salience Network. Kaufman cites a Harvard publication by Randy Buckner et. al, which tells us that the Imagination Network is involved in \u201cconstructing dynamic mental simulations based on personal past experiences such as used during remembering, thinking about the future, and generally when imagining alternative perspectives and scenarios to the present.\u201d Also an unequivocally important part of the puzzle, the Salience Network \u201cconstantly\u00a0monitors both external events and the internal stream of consciousness and flexibly passes the baton to whatever information is most salient to solving the task at hand.\u201d In other words, archiving and connecting.<\/p>\n

For Kaufman, the key to understanding the science behind ideas is in knowing which network patterns \u2013 including purpose and activation methods. He sources a review by the University of New Mexico, Department of Neurosurgery, called \u201cThe Structure of Creative Cognition in the Human Brain\u201d by Rex E. Jung, et. al. The review urges you exactly what you\u2019ve already been advised earlier in this post, and that\u2019s to \u201cloosen your associations, allow your mind to roam free,\u00a0imagine new possibilities, and silence the inner critic.\u201d<\/p>\n

The end-goal in the pursuit of ideas doesn\u2019t end with just a bunch of ideas; it arrives at genius. Our goal is to tap into that genius, learn from it, and duplicate it. Walter Isaacson, biographer to idea titans such as Benjamin Franklin, Einstein, and Steve Jobs, understands this, noting that \u201cmost creativity comes from a group of people who play off each other.\u201d Just as ideas play off each other in your mind, your role in a collaborative environment is to mirror this genius-yielding idea free play that occurs in your mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When we think of idea-generation, we think of creativity. 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