ephiphany

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Creative Heuristics #5: The Neuroscience of Epiphanies

Posted by Mark Ridinger on November 9, 2014
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Epiphany   Epiphanies—also sometimes called eureka or “aha! moments”—are those flashes of insight that are often part of the creative process. As discussed before, they tend to come when our minds are at rest and in a place of what has been called cognitive ease; diverted from trying to find a solution to a vexing problem we had been considering previously in a more analytical fashion. When we have an epiphany, we tend to know it right away, and there is a very pleasant feeling associated with that moment, and usually a sense that a real breakthrough has been achieved. Also of note, problems solved with insight do not occur in some step-wise incremental fashion; one goes from no conscious appreciation of a solution to the complete solution in one leap. Increasingly, neuroscientists have been studying these moments and some interesting findings have been made recently.

In order to study epiphanies, neuroscientist rely on administering various tests that are typically best solved by insight, one of the most common being remote associates tests, or RAT. An example is to ask an individual to find a word that is associated with three other words. For example the correct solution to pine, crab, and sauce would be apple (pineapple, crab apple, and apple sauce).

The tools used to measure the brain’s response to solving these insight problems are generally two: electroencephalography (or EEG, the recording of tiny electrical fluctuations on the scalp with electrodes) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (or fMRI, which detects changes in regional blood flow in the brain). They are complementary in that EEG has very good temporal resolution but limited spatial (anatomical) resolution, and the opposite is true for fMRI.

So what has been discovered to date? Solving problems with insight, versus a methodical analytical approach, results in a burst of high frequency gamma-band EEG activity (postulated to be indicative of complex cognitive processing) over the right temporal lobe, and a corresponding spike in blood flow on fMRI studies in the right anterior temporal gyrus, as well as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the hippocampus. Also noted however is a burst in alpha-band activity (which is associated with neural inhibition) in the occipital lobe, where the visual cortex resides. The effect of this is to diminish visual data input, (referred to as “sensory gating”, and fits with my premise of insight being a “looking in” process). These data also support the long held contention that insight is a “right brain” function predominantly.*

 

Also discovered is that the state of mind one is in predisposes or primes the brain to solve a problem either insightfully or analytically. Analytical priming shows increased activity (decreased alpha-band on EEG) in the occipital lobes (the “looking out” to survey a threat from a predator, for example), while preparation for insight shows activation of the ACC and temporal lobes. The ACC is particularly interesting, as it seems to function as both a monitor of other brain regions and as a switch. In short, stimulation of the ACC seems to increase the relative importance of weakly activated associations (less obvious solutions or links). Previous research has suggested that the right hemisphere is particularly well suited for these types of connections due to its more lateral and broad semantic network, and that it contains both more numerous and longer (more distant) axonal connections versus the left hemisphere. Thus, activation of the ACC switches the brain into being more of an insightful problem solver.

Also of note is the discovery that individuals more adept at solving problems with insight tend to have greater right hemisphere as well as diffuse visual cortex activity while at rest, and it’s the moments just prior to and during the solving of a problem with insight, that the switch is made to a more inward focus. This fits nicely with the ideas previously put forth in this blog that creativity involves intense curiosity (the data collection phase if you will—the outward facing time where one “looks up to the stars”) and then a desire to connect things in a novel way (the inward phase).

As already discussed here, humor and positive mood in general (and the absence of anxiety) has been shown by cognitive psychological experiments to enhance insight, intuition, and other aspects of creativity. Are there any neuroscience correlates? There appears to be. For example, there is an observed electrical potential called the N400 that is elicited when the brain detects two sequential words (or concepts or stimuli) that may have some degree of relatedness or similar semantic context. A repeated theme to understanding creativity and insight is the notion that connecting ideas that are not obviously related is at the heart of the creative process. The N400 (as measured by EEG) tends to be larger when the brain determines two words, for example, don’t fit well together, and smaller when they are judge to have better semantic relatedness. Studies have demonstrated that when a positive mood is induced, words that are more incongruent (less obviously connected) elicit a smaller N400 potential than the same words in a neutral state. Positive mood and the absence of anxiety then appears to open our minds to allowing for more varied and broader interpretations of incoming stimuli.

So both positive mood and as discussed before, small does of alcohol, improve our ability to solve problems with insight, but is there any other way to induce insight? Perhaps. Although still very early on, studies using simultaneous transcranial direct current stimulation (or tDCS, which is the application of low current to the brain via scalp electrodes) of the right frontal-temporal cortex and inhibition of the same region on the left, resulted in marked improved ability of subjects to solve problems that require insight.

 

Creative Heuristics #5: Over the preceding decades, many observations and cognitive psychological experiments have been made that lend support to the notion that the right hemisphere of the brain takes the lead when we solve problems with insight, and have moments of epiphany. Although still early on, neuroscience is confirming these observations and helping us to understand how insight may be deliberately enhanced.

 

* As previously discussed, the creative process as a whole (of which the moment of insight or epiphany is just one part) requires both divergent and convergent thinking, and thus is certainly a bi-hemispheric process.

 

-Mark HT Ridinger

 

Creative Heuristics #4: Codifying Creativity

Posted by Mark Ridinger on October 27, 2014
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Cx Schema2_jpg I know what you might be thinking: “Codifying creativity—isn’t that oxymoronic?” And to some degree perhaps yes. But attempting to establish a methodical framework should not be considered the antithesis of creativity. We shouldn’t shy away from trying to understand the creative process so we can facilitate it, particularly within the setting of an organization or enterprise.

What is clear is that creativity as a codified process very much requires a divergent and convergent thought process, and hence is very much both a left and right brain activity*. I think there is a bias towards believing that creativity only operates in the divergent realm. But it is in fact very much a bi-hemispheric process. Additionally, creativity involves the combination of originality and task appropriateness. Any framework that attempts to foster achieving a creative solution must therefore take into account these dimensions.

In both reviewing the literature as well as formulating my own thoughts from my experience, I have realized that there is a common thread among all the various methodologies put forth, and it goes pretty much like this (see also the figure above):

 

1. Clarify the problem: Are you asking the right question? Searching for the proper solution?

2. Prepare: There is no substitute for doing good old fashion homework. What is the state of the art? What have others said, thought, attempted in the past that is relevant?

3. Ideation and reality mining: Come up with a lot of possible solutions (a future Creative Heuristic will discuss some well documented techniques). Here, quantity reigns superior over quality. Now is not the time to be critical or discerning; allow yourself and the team to be foolish even. Suspend judgment on any ideas or solutions put forth by the group.

4. “Walk away”—allow for incubation and gestation of the challenge and the ideas put forth; allow your mind to wander free of conscious thought on the problem. This allows the unconscious mind to work and churn on the task. Utilize good creative hygiene!

5. Eureka! What inspired solutions has your subconscious mind put forth while you were exercising, on a long walk, in the shower? Write them down!

6. Evaluate those new solutions: Now is the time to switch back to convergent and analytical thought. Which idea is best?

7. Make real and share: Time to get ideas, solutions and options into a concrete form. Share with others—preferably those outside the current team. Opt for generalists over specialists who may be locked into their own silo of domain expertise. Now is the time to test your solutions and expect and evaluate criticisms.

8. Implementation and production: Is the solution both novel, task appropriate and feasible?

 

Creative Heuristic #4: Solving challenges with a creative approach can be facilitated with a framework like the one above. It’s a process that very much utilizes both hemispheres of the brain and both divergent and convergent thinking.

 

[* By “divergent thinking” I mean the ability to come up with many responses to a challenge or issue, as contrasted with “convergent thinking,” or the process to come up with the correct answer to problems that have only one answer.]

 

-Mark HT Ridinger

 

 

 

 

Creative Heuristics #3: Getting in the Mood with Good “Creative Hygiene”

Posted by Mark Ridinger on October 4, 2014
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archimedes  There are certain states of mind and mood that increase our ability to solve problems using insight, be they Aha! moments or more deliberate attempts at being creative.

Perhaps the most famous anecdotal story of inspiration is Archimedes’ moment of inspiration that occurred while he was bathing. The ancient Greek scientist reportedly shouted “Eureka!” (meaning, “I have found it”) upon realizing that water displacement could be used to compute density, and thus he could solve the task of determining whether a crown of King Hiero II was pure gold or an alloy. As it turns out, activities like bathing and showering, or other tasks that promote relaxation and allow the mind to wander (a long walk in the country, fishing etc.), are associated with such moments of epiphany. This is often referred to in the literature as ‘random episodic silent thought’, or REST.

In his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, Nobel prize winner Daniel Kahneman discusses how being in a state of what he terms cognitive ease (as opposed to cognitive stress) allows our more intuitive mind (what he refers to as system 1 thinking) to function better. This comes at some cost to our analytic, or system 2 thinking mind however, and we tend to be less analytical and skeptical. This makes sense, as part of the creative process is withholding judgment and collecting a wide range of ideas and solutions (and will be discussed in a future Create Heuristic essay). Interestingly, being in a state of cognitive stress or anxiety in general, tends to narrow our scope of attention, and makes incorporating novel or broader stimuli less likely. There is evolutionary correlates to this as early humans would have been served well to focus on a threat from a predator, for example, and to not be distracted by less (immediately) relevant data.

Going a step further, beyond just being at a state of REST or ease, in turns out that an upbeat, positive mood enhances our ability to think insightfully and this is true whether that condition occurs spontaneously or whether it is induced in a laboratory setting. For example, neuroscientist Mark Beeman and his colleagues found that showing a clip of Robin Williams doing stand-up boosted the success rate of solving insight problems by about 20%. Humor seems to allow the brain to make connections between weak associations—a key to creativity. As the brilliant comedian John Cleese of Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers fame said, “the main evolutionary significance of humor is that it gets us from the closed mode to the open mode quicker than anything else.” Another fascinating finding is that humor is a two way street: positive mood enhances insight, and solving problems with insight enhances mood. Apparently, we enjoy being creative!

There is also evidence that alcohol can enhance the ability to solve insight problems better and more quickly. Researchers at the University of Illinois, Chicago, found that a cohort that had achieved a blood alcohol level of .075% performed much better at solving word problems that required insight than their sober counterparts. Why? They postulated that “moderate intoxication may be one way to alter attentional states to be more conducive to creative processing.” The idea is that the right hemisphere can be freer to “ignore” the focused, attention state of the left, and connect weaker and more distant thoughts and associations with some alcohol on board. (A future Creative Heuristics essay will discuss the neuroscience of inspiration.)

Sleep and the transitional condition between wakefulness and sleep, called the hypnagogic state, also facilitate the creative mind and process. Many famous creatives have credited hypnagogia to their ability to invent and innovate. Thomas Edison, for example, was said to hold his metal keys in his hand as he rested in an armchair, with a metal plate on the floor directly below. As he was about to fall asleep, the keys would slip form his hand and clang on the plate, waking him and hopefully allowing him to benefit from any insights! Actual sleep itself is critical for achieving insight as well. In a paper published in the journal Nature, ‘Sleep Inspires Insight’, Ullrich Wagner and his colleagues discovered that eight hours of sleep greatly “facilitates extraction of explicit knowledge and insightful behavior.” They theorized this occurred due to some form of restructuring of newly acquired memories that occur during sleep.Finally, color may influence or enhance creative mood; specifically the color blue versus red. Subjects, in a study published in Science, were divided up between those performing tasks on a computer screen with a red background or a blue one. “Red groups did better on tests of recall and attention to detail, like remembering words or checking spelling and punctuation. Blue groups did better on tests requiring imagination, like inventing creative uses for a brick or creating toys from shapes.”

 

Creative Heuristic #3: Foster a culture of innovation and original thinking by encouraging and promoting good “creative hygiene”. Inspiration and creative insight can be augmented by allowing the mind to be well rested and free to wander, and be in a state of cognitive ease. Positive mood and humor—and the absence of anxiety—further enhance our ability to be creative. And when in doubt, add a glass of wine to the mix!

 

-Mark HT Ridinger

Creative Heuristics #1: Creative Archetypes and The Beyonders

Posted by Mark Ridinger on September 15, 2014
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da vinci mash-up

“One of the most powerful wellsprings of creative energy, outstanding accomplishment and self-fulfillment seems to be falling in love with something— your dream, your image of the future.”

 

-E. Paul Torrance

 

According to a recent survey of 1,500 chief executives conducted by IBM’s Institute for Business Value, “creativity” was deemed to be the most important leadership skill for the enterprise of the future. So what are the characteristics and traits of creative people? What sort of folks do they tend to be, if any, and how can they be identified, if at all?

Paul Torrance was the creator of the eponymous Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, a validated instrument that does a good job of measuring divergent cognition, serves as an additional tool for gifted program placement (beyond IQ tests), and has shown to have predictive ability in measuring future creative achievement and output, as I have blogged about in the past.

Near the end of his career, he re-examined his data and also his decades of interviews with students, and ended up with what he called the Beyonders Checklist that described traits of creative individuals. These are:

  • Love of work
  • Tolerance of mistakes
  • Feeling comfortable as a minority of one
  • Well-roundedness
  • Persistence
  • Purpose in life
  • Diversity of experience
  • High energy
  • Creative self-concept
  • Risk taker
  • Open to change
  • Deep thinking

A fifty year follow up analysis by Mark Runco et al. found that the first four traits in particular showed significant correlation to either professional or personal creative achievement.

Separately, Nancy Andreasen, an American neuroscientist and neuropsychiatrist, has written about her findings in years of interviewing highly creative individuals. She found that:

  1. Creativity tends to run in families, with both a possible nature and nurture component. (e.g. she found half of her subjects came from very high-achieving backgrounds, with at least one parent who has a doctoral degree, and the majority grew up in an environment where learning and education were highly valued.)
  2. These subjects are adventuresome and exploratory. They take risks and must confront doubt. Creative people tend to be very persistent, even when confronted with skepticism or rejection.
  3. Many creative people are polymaths (people with broad interests in many fields). The classic example is Da Vinci.
  4. They tend to be autodidacts. She wrote, “Because their thinking is different, my subjects often express the idea that standard ways of learning and teaching are not always helpful and may even be distracting, and that they prefer to learn on their own.”
  5. Her creative subjects and their relatives have a higher rate of mental illness (the most-common diagnoses include bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety or panic disorder, and alcoholism.)

It strikes me, that taken together, both Torrance’s “checklist” and Andreason’s observations give a very similar sketch of creative archetypes, and allows for a heuristic of sorts to help identify them:

Creative Heuristic #1

These are passionate and intensely curious individuals, self-motivated and taught, that often come from a family of “creatives” (and, unfortunately, may suffer disproportionately from some forms of mental illness.) Furthermore, I would posit that these characteristics are also those found typically in Generalists, as discussed previously.

Given the importance of creativity and innovation to organizations today, using this heuristic as part of a broad strategy of hiring and recruitment should be helpful.

 

-Mark HT Ridinger

FOMO: scourge of the 21st century.

Posted by Mark Ridinger on September 2, 2014
Posted in: Musings. Tagged: , , . 1 Comment

FOMOIn case you don’t know, FOMO stands for “fear of missing out”. Why a scourge? It’s a major cause of our increasing inability to be mindful–or be in a state of cognitive ease necessary for introspection, imagination and creativity. FOMO on an email, twitter feed, RSS feed, facebook updates… you get the picture. Now I have seen recently some push back which is great. For example, someone coined the term JOMO–“joy of missing out”–and although I do appreciate the sentiment, the issue I have is that JOMO still implies that one is “missing out”. But instead of being anxiety riddled about it (FOMO), one can be happy about it instead.

We need then a new term, because the real “missing out” comes from the lost opportunities of succumbing to FOMO!

I propose here today some new terms that hopefully correctly communicate that by being in a state of FOMO, one is actually losing the chance to be maximally innovative, to achieve an “aha” moment, or epiphany or Eureka!, and thus to perhaps never discover a brilliant idea, new intellectual property, or a creative solution.

What about, then, FOFOMO? (“fallacy of the fear of missing out”), or fauxFOMO? Or we could be more fanciful and take the beautiful Portuguese term, saudade (which roughly means a longing for something that never really existed) and hence get neo-saudade!

Whatever that word or phrase is, the antidote may be best described by another foreign phrase– wei wu wei– which is an ancient Tao expression that means something like ‘achieving action with deliberate inaction’. After all, both common sense and neuroscience has shown that the mind must be put at rest in order to tap into the hidden subconscious churning that leads to epiphanies.

-Mark HT Ridinger