Notes -
Scientists are beginning to understand how moments of inspiration come about, how moments of creativity happen and what scientists are Discovering gives us the power to be more creative.
The advancement of humans depends on creativity and innovation
How insight works, the moment when without thinking methodically or logically we come up with a flash of insight. Insight moments fleeting, lucid and had to study. Puzzle show us why and how insight works in our brains.
Left brain edition:
– logical thinking
– language
right side brain:
– spatial awareness
– intuition
If you flash information to the right side of vision, it goes to the left side of brain, and vice versa
Right side makes connections themselves problems, it has the power of insight.
Creativity is essential to humans every leap forward in humanity has come from some form of creativity. Creativity doesn't just apply to arts, it can apply to everything including designers, scientists, inventors, through creativity we have flown to the moon and cured illnesses. This would not be achieved without creative thinking.
FMRI – is good at picking up where in the brain something is happening.
EEG – is good at picking up when something is happening in the brain.
The part of the brain where these insight moments occur is the interior superior temporal Cyrus. We think differently when we have a creative moment.
Insight vs analytical
brain acts differently before during and after insight. Scientists have now found the creative spark, when and where it happens. Gamma rays erupt from interiors superior temporal Cyrus during insight and structural difference between left and right brain neurons differ subtly in the ways in which they are wired.
The den Drax, the pieces of neurons that collect the information, actually act different on the left and right side of the brain, broader branching on right side of the brain, each neuron can stretch further and find and make connections that might not be evident otherwise. (This is what happens within your brain when you cannot remember something, and say it will come to me later, and it does. This is because the neurons have outstretched and made the connections without you even being aware.) Brain cells on the left hand side of the brain have shot dendrax, useful for pulling in information nearby. Cells on the right side of the brain branch out much further and pull together distant more unrelated ideas. Concepts are made here in a flash of insight.
The moment of insight feels instantaneous – it is anything but.
Before insight occurs there is a burst of alpha waves in the back of the brain on the right side. Alpha waves are used in the brain to shut parts of the brain down. They shut down part of the visual cortex. This is sort of like closing your eyes, as too much visual information is around us so this is a way of shutting it off. The alpha waves allows ideas to bubble up to the surface as insight. When you ask somebody a difficult question they look up, away or might close their eyes. They do not look at your face as a face is very distracting.
If the attention is directed inwardly, you are more likely to solve a problem with a flash of insight. He can improve insight by cutting off outside world just for a little time – J.P.Gill Ford – noticed some aircrew could think outside the box to survive.
(The concept of survival is very interesting as under this pressure people often become most creative as they invent new ways to stay alive, but may not realise that they are being creative.)
Divergent thinking
the brick – divergent thinking test
The brick test divergent thinking involves thinking about how many different ways of using brick they can come up with. The more creative uses for the brick they come up with, means they are being more creative in thought.
Intelligent and creativity are different, different things going on in the brain. White matter fibre tracks. 150,000 kilometres of track's connection in the brain.
Studies show the structure of the brain in highly creative people is very different to what is seen as the norm. It's all to do with white matter. Less white matter is better in the brain. The brain is less organised. Nerve traffic is slow down.
Instead of having neat a to B, you have lots of nerve journeys, pathways that ideas can flow, idea space means ideas collide and form new ideas that are brought into conscious awareness. Cognitive thinking slows things down. Creativity is not about speed and efficiency connectivity is slow and meandering. You don't know where ideas are going to end up.
Creativity exists in everyone, improvisation equals creativity.
Insights into how the brain innovates –
changes in prefrontal cortex of the brains frontal lobes portion is the part of the brain that makes us human. Unconscious self-monitoring watching what you do and what you say.
Freestyle rap, illustrators, jazz musicians improvise, they are able to shut the frontal lobes of the brain down.
If scientists could work out how to shut down parts of the brain from circuits they would be able to work out how to make everyone creative.
Research has unlocked the secret of what makes you creative. Scientists so far believe that insight × divergent thinking × improvisation = creativity
New and unexpected experiences can boost your creativity. It alters cognitive habits. Opens your mind – disrupts our functional facilities – thinking gets stuck in a rut.
It helps make new associations with concepts. Makes you think more flexible and creative and helps you think differently.
Skima violation
this is where you are taught to do a daily task but in a different way breaking up your routine and thus making you think differently. This disrupts normal pattern thought or behaviour. You get to the same result but by different unexpected route. This tests reality you think differently make new associations.
Disrupt any routine. Switch steps helps you be more flexible and creative. Changes brain, forces new connections to be made between brain which therefore means you will create more new and original ideas.
This is why you have your best ideas when you are not thinking about them
when people were given the divergent brick test they were told to come up with as many uses for the brick as possible within the two-minute time-limit. One set of people were then asked to sit still for two minutes and do nothing. The second set of people were asked to do a hard task of building a house out of bricks for two minute. The third set of people were asked to colour coordinate the discs into associated colours for two minutes. Each group were then asked to repeat the divergent brick test.
The group who were asked to build a construction within the two-minute pause, did the worst the second time round with the divergent thinking test. They were the least creative. The group that were told to sit still for two minutes made no change their level of creativity stayed the same. The group that were asked to sort out the colours of the discs, became the most creative. This is because the mind wandering facilitates best creativity whilst engaging in mundane and easy Tasks.
If you need a solution to a creative challenge don't do nothing do something non-demanding. This stirs the pot as such. Take a break and let unconscious processes take a hold. If you occupy the mind that allow the mind to wander you will make creative connections as you don't want to be to focus
Repetitive action equals change in frontal lobe. Transient hypofrontality , temporary sleep mode, the lobes are slightly pulled back. Meditation, a long run, a bath are examples of the different ways to down regulate the frontal lobe temporarily and allow creative ideas to flow.
Both front elopes left and right play a powerful role in gatekeeping role in our creative intelligence. In research this bit of the brain keeps turning up again and again in insight.
Some people are naturally hypofrontal. The frontal lobes are less active all the time. People who solve things through insight have lower base level of frontal lobe activity, the frontal lobes are not controlling them, they are more free, allowing different brain activity at once. The frontal debt is what happens when you improvise. This area of the brain with its ability to relax your mental handcuffs is that at the forefront of current research.
Further Comment :
This documentary has been very useful, it has showcased to me the different scientific research that is going on in the present to do with creativity and the brain. It has explained to me the physiological workings of the creative brain and given me a greater understanding which I will be able to research further into. It has also talked about how creativity can be developed which again I will be able to take further and expand upon, This has been a good start to my research and I thoroughly enjoyed watching this document which has confirmed to me that I am doing my COP3 on the right topic, something I am interested in and find very exciting to know more about.
