7 Unusual facts you should know about creativity

Everyone is familiar with the fact that techniques such as meditation, reveal our creativity. However, there are less obvious, but no less effective ways to help yourself to think more creatively.

Wool-gathering. Monkey business. Aimless curiosity. Grief from the loss of loved ones. All this makes us mostly negative associations. But in fact, a surprising and positive way affects our creativity.

In the book, Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire "created to do: the disclosure of the creative mind of Secrets" (Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind) Presented an extensive and described in plain language overview of the latest research of features of creative thinking. It is possible to find many examples from the life of celebrities and real historical figures. And that's what the authors found.

1. For 72% of people enlightenment comes in the shower

It really works! When we stand under the hot water flow in the nude, we often come to mind is really brilliant ideas. Perhaps shower isolates us from others and creates a meditative effect, making it a kind of incubator for new ideas.

This method of increasing creativity is actively promoting Woody Allen. And he is not the only one. According to a survey conducted in 2014, 72% of respondents from around the world have confirmed that the soul descends to them something like enlightenment. This is probably due to the following discovery Kaufman and Gregoire.

2. Introverts are experts in creativity

Working in groups, we can be very productive. However, research shows that our brain produces the best ideas when we are in loneliness. It is at such moments, we are capable of constructive reflection - a state of consciousness, it is important for creativity and idea generation.

When all the stimuli from the outside world, "disabled", our brains are better builds certain connections, recalls the necessary details and processes information.

3. You become more creative when trying something new

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

Writers beatniks, such as Jack Kerouac, not afraid to ignore the literary canon and could form a whole new direction.

It turns out that this relationship has a scientific basis. The thirst for novelty related to the work of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which, among other things, is also associated with motivation and learning new skills. He also contributes to psychological flexibility, propensity to accept and absorb new.

Many mentioned in the book of studies suggest that the desire to explore the world in all its forms, perhaps, is the basic personal determinant of creative accomplishments.

4. Sometimes it is necessary to trust the intuition

Those who are interested in medicine and psychedelic culture, well-known story of how a chemist Albert Hofmann discovered LSD and then went to the famous first in the history of an acid trip. But few people know about another fact: the first time he synthesized LSD-25 (one of several chemical combinations, he created later) even five years earlier, but did not reveal anything for yourself interesting.

After five years, Hofmann returned to the experiments. Why? As he spoke, he was overcome "hunch."

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

Intuition led to the creation of matter, which had an enormous influence on music and popular culture. LSD interested in even the CIA, which has conducted a number of serious studies of its effects on the mind.

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

Intuition and sudden insights associated with it, is still poorly understood, but arouse great interest among neuroscientists and psychologists. According to a study published in the journal American Psychologist in 1992, processes that occur in the subconscious really can act more quickly and have a much more complex structure than the conscious thinking.

5. Psychological trauma give wonderful fruits

Frida Kahlo, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Truman Capote, Robin Williams, Jerry Garcia... Many well-known creative people united by one fact: they have experienced bereavement, grief (the death of a parent or loved one) or have received a serious trauma that has had a tremendous impact on their activity.

Psychologists call this phenomenon of posttraumatic growth. Our thinking is often adapted to the difficult event for us in a way that is new nontrivial problem solving. It is kind of part of the "restructuring" of life, when in order to survive, have to give up old habits. So open up new perspectives, priorities and look at what is happening vary.

Many scholars have devoted their work the study of post-traumatic growth. For example, a study published in 2014 in the Journal of Traumatic Stress P. A. Linley, S. Joseph. Positive Change Following Trauma and Adversity. It showed that 70% of people who have managed to successfully survive any traumatic events experienced positive psychological changes.

6. Our brains like when we dream

Of course, during an important meeting, you should not mind getting stuck on his imaginary island of happiness. However, the dream miraculously affect our creativity.

When at work, you imagine yourself a trampoline in the form of the castle, within which sport corgi puppies, or relive the best moments of your last vacation, you may not feel the tide productivity. However, doing these seemingly meaningless things, you start in the brain interesting processes.

Psychologists studying the positive-constructive daydreaming (positive-constructive daydreaming) for several decades. As scientists say, like wool-gathering creates a sort of incubation period for our thoughts and creative ideas. It also has a positive effect on our ability to long-term planning and boosts self-confidence.

7. Some of the best ideas first exposed to general ridicule

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

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

In 2009, the Scientometrics magazine was published, which presented examples of the ideas of Nobel laureates, originally subjected to criticism from the scientific community. This study demonstrated the systemic nature of the manifestation of skepticism with regard to the theories that challenge current scientific understanding.

Psychologists from Cornell University confirmed that we tend to be discriminated against non-trivial ideas, the use of which seems impractical. This trend seems to have deep roots.

Even in the 50-ies of XX century, scientists have found that people are most likely agree with the opinion, the majority approves. According to this study, rote memorization, and follow clear instructions, and what we learn at school, as well destroy our ability to think unconventionally. According to Kaufman and Gregoire, teachers encourage precisely those students who are less inclined to be creative.

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It turns out that creativity can be developed, and it is not always difficult. Follow your instincts. Dream. Dedicate yourself a bit of time you can spend with yourself, if you feel that you need it. Try to extract a positive experience, even of unpleasant events. And do not be afraid to be ridiculed. Who knows, maybe your idea will transform this world.