Category: Be More Creative

Be More Creative

The Average Daily Activity When You Are Full Of Potential Creativity:

ur morning shower. Via Imagine: How Creativity Works: Why is a relaxed state of mind so important for creative insights? When our minds are at ease— when those alpha waves are rippling through the brain— we’re more likely to direct the spotlight of attention inward, toward that stream of remote associations emanating from the right hemisphere. In contrast, when we are diligently focused, our attention tends to be directed outward, toward the details of the problems we’re trying to solve.…


1 min read
Be More Creative

Is there an upside to attention deficit disorder?

makes you more creative. Via Imagine: How Creativity Works: Surprisingly, those students diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) got significantly higher scores. White then measured levels of creative achievement in the real world, asking the students if they’d ever won prizes at juried art shows or been honored at science fairs. In every single domain, from drama to engineering, the students with ADHD had achieved more. Their attention deficit turned out to be a creative blessing. Join over…


1 min read
Be More Creative

3 quick tips for being more creative:

First, try to make yourself happier. Even just watching a short comedy clip can help: Via Jonah Lehrer's book Imagine: How Creativity Works: Beeman has demonstrated that people who score high on a standard measure of happiness solve about 25 percent more insight puzzles than people who are feeling angry or upset. In fact, even fleeting feelings of delight can lead to dramatic increases in creativity. After watching a short, humorous video— Beeman uses a clip of Robin Williams…


2 minutes
Be More Creative

Will watching Shrek turn your kid into a creative genius?

ay, it won't turn your kid into Picasso but recent research says it has two things going for it. Green stimulates creativity: According to newly published research, innovative thinking seems to be stimulated by the color green. A research team led by University of Munich psychologist Stephanie Lichtenfeld reports the color of limes and leaves “has implications beyond aesthetics.” Specifically, a glimpse of green appears to activate “the type of pure, open (mental) processing required to do well on creativity…


2 minutes
Be Happier

Why do we daydream? Is it good for us?

u spend up to 8 minutes of every hour daydreaming. Your mind will probably wander for 13% of the time it takes you to read this post. Some of us spend 30-40% of our time daydreaming. Via The Science of Sin: The Psychology of the Seven Deadlies (and Why They Are So Good For You): Do you remember what the previous paragraph was about? It’s OK, I’m not offended. Chances are that your mind will wander for up to eight…


3 minutes
Be More Creative

Do unusual and unexpected experiences make you more creative?

s, if you're actively involved in them -- watching isn't enough: Past research has linked creativity to unusual and unexpected experiences, such as early parental loss or living abroad. However, few studies have investigated the underlying cognitive processes. We propose that some experiences have in common a “diversifying” aspect and an active involvement, which together enhance cognitive flexibility (i.e., creative cognitive processing). In the first experiment, participants experienced complex unusual and unexpected events happening in a virtual reality. In the…


1 min read
Be More Creative

Can making breakfast make you more creative?

ing everyday things in unconventional ways can stimulate creative thinking. This study had people mix up their usual breakfast making routines. That alone resulted in higher scores on creativity tests. Via Miller McCune: Want to boost your creativity? Tomorrow morning, pour some milk into an empty bowl, and then add the cereal. That may sound, well, flaky. But according to a newly published study, preparing a common meal in reverse order may stimulate innovative thinking. Avoiding conventional behavior at the…


1 min read
Be More Creative

Are you more creative when you’re drunk?

oks like it: That alcohol provides a benefit to creative processes has long been assumed by popular culture, but to date has not been tested. The current experiment tested the effects of moderate alcohol intoxication on a common creative problem solving task, the Remote Associates Test (RAT). Individuals were brought to a blood alcohol content of approximately .075, and, after reaching peak intoxication, completed a battery of RAT items. Intoxicated individuals solved more RAT items, in less time, and were…


1 min read

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