1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,680 Rapid Idea Generation: 2 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:03,880 How to Create, 3 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:04,640 Innovate, 4 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:05,360 Conceive, 5 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:09,320 and Invent From Scratch [Second Edition] (Think Smarter, 6 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:11,600 Not Harder Book 5) 7 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:18,200 By Peter Hollins, narrated by russell newton. 8 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:24,240 James Dyson had a real problem with vacuum cleaners.| Back in the 20th century, 9 00:00:24,240 --> 00:00:27,840 a household vacuum cleaner worked by rolling over the carpet, 10 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,960 grabbing dust with brushes attached to a cylindrical mechanism, 11 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,880 and then sucking up that dust and storing it in a bag that was connected to a 12 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:37,040 pipe. 13 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:38,320 When the bag filled up, 14 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:41,160 you had to take it out and replace it with a new one. 15 00:00:41,160 --> 00:00:41,920 In many ways, 16 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:43,800 it seems crude, 17 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,840 especially when you consider that we will soon have self-driving cars on the 18 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:49,280 road. 19 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:53,880 Dyson absolutely loathed changing out the vacuum cleaner bags. 20 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:54,560 He assumed, 21 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:55,640 quite correctly, 22 00:00:55,640 --> 00:00:57,600 that other people hated it too. 23 00:00:57,600 --> 00:00:59,200 It was a filthy business. 24 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:00,480 Dust got everywhere, 25 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:05,040 and often it left matters just as messy as when he'd started. 26 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:10,280 He decided he was going to try to find a way to create a bagless vacuum cleaner. 27 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:10,960 The big issue, 28 00:01:10,960 --> 00:01:11,320 of course, 29 00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:14,520 was how this cleaner would dispose of the dust. 30 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:15,640 For a while, 31 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,640 Dyson didn't have any ideas. 32 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:19,480 One day, 33 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,280 Dyson was at an industrial sawmill. 34 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:25,720 He noticed that it was relatively clean for a sawmill. 35 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:29,320 He discovered that there were a couple of large cones that not only collected 36 00:01:29,320 --> 00:01:30,480 the sawdust, 37 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:32,680 but removed it from the air. 38 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:37,200 These machines were called cyclonic separators. 39 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:40,760 Dyson thought this principle could be a tool that adapted to work in household 40 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:42,040 vacuum cleaners, 41 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:46,360 so he fashioned a crude cyclone model out of cardboard and scotch tape, 42 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:49,480 connected it to his normal vacuum cleaner, 43 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:51,960 and went about sweeping the home. 44 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:55,440 He found that it worked extremely well. 45 00:01:55,440 --> 00:02:00,000 He went to work building prototypes and trying to line up financing. 46 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,920 After 15 years of trial and error, 47 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:08,320 Dyson's cyclone power totally bagless vacuum cleaner hit the market. 48 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:09,200 Eventually, 49 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,720 it became a tremendous success. 50 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:16,560 Now the vacuum cleaner bag is nearly extinct and no house cleaner ever has to 51 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:20,560 live with getting lint all over his or her hands. 52 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,920 Dyson solved his bag problem by assessing a situation, 53 00:02:23,920 --> 00:02:26,320 coming up with a theory, 54 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:29,000 being curious about other industries, 55 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:30,640 experimenting on his own, 56 00:02:30,640 --> 00:02:34,440 and finally producing the ultimate solution. 57 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:36,560 He probably didn't realize it at the time, 58 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:41,440 but in finding a workable answer for bag-free vacuuming, 59 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:45,560 Dyson was emulating a few of the most well-known creative problem-solving 60 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:46,800 principles, 61 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,880 ones that Leonardo da Vinci used to great effect. 62 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:51,640 To be clear, 63 00:02:51,640 --> 00:02:54,600 this isn't a book about da Vinci's life, 64 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:59,840 but he just so happens to be the archetype for creativity and out-of-the-box 65 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:05,080 thinking for so many of us that he's a fantastic role model to analyze. 66 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:09,640 It's from following his lead and mindsets that we can start to become more 67 00:03:09,640 --> 00:03:13,920 creative in our own ways. 68 00:03:13,920 --> 00:03:17,600 History's greatest polymath. 69 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:18,920 Leonardo da Vinci, 70 00:03:18,920 --> 00:03:21,720 born in 1452 in Tuscany, 71 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:22,640 Italy, 72 00:03:22,640 --> 00:03:27,000 is arguably the most famous and accomplished polymath in the history of the 73 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:27,800 world, 74 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:31,600 as well as someone recognized for massive creativity. 75 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:32,160 A polymath, 76 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:37,280 sometimes referred to colloquially as a renaissance man or woman, 77 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:42,920 is a person with deep expertise across an impossibly wide range of subjects and 78 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:44,320 disciplines. 79 00:03:44,320 --> 00:03:45,240 Science, 80 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:45,840 math, 81 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:46,480 the arts, 82 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:47,480 politics, 83 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:48,200 culture, 84 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:48,880 history, 85 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:49,720 you name it, 86 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:54,400 and he cultivated an interest in it and likely gained a level of proficiency. 87 00:03:54,400 --> 00:04:01,000 Polymaths have deep and ongoing interests in multiple areas. 88 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:02,120 When a problem comes along, 89 00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:06,440 polymaths solve it by tapping it into their knowledge in different subjects. 90 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:12,480 They're relentless about gaining knowledge and putting it into application. 91 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:13,600 Galileo, 92 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:16,440 1564 to 1642, 93 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:19,160 was a polymath who explored astronomy, 94 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:20,200 mathematics, 95 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:20,880 physics, 96 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:22,400 and engineering, 97 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,720 and who basically gave us the modern scientific method. 98 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:27,520 Benjamin Franklin, 99 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,600 1706 to 1790, 100 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:32,200 was an expert in politics, 101 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:33,440 science and philosophy, 102 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:34,080 who, 103 00:04:34,080 --> 00:04:38,640 between inventing bifocals and discovering electricity, 104 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:41,840 helped found the United States of America. 105 00:04:41,840 --> 00:04:46,120 It seems there is a clear pattern between a mastery of multiple disciplines and 106 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:47,120 creativity. 107 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:48,840 Da Vinci, 108 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:49,320 though, 109 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:53,640 is the model from which all subsequent polymaths are born. 110 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:58,880 His list of accomplishments is staggering and the variety of fields he mastered 111 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,760 is beyond belief. 112 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:03,600 Anatomy. 113 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,680 Da Vinci reshaped what human beings knew about themselves. 114 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:11,520 He was the first person to create detailed views of the internal organs of the 115 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:12,920 human body. 116 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:16,560 He made casts of the brain and ventricles from a deceased ox, 117 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:19,720 paving the way for such models of human organs. 118 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:25,360 He was the first to describe the S-shaped structure of the human spine. 119 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:29,000 He completed numerous dissections of both human and animal bodies, 120 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:34,160 meticulously documenting and drawing everything he saw. 121 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:36,800 Imagine how valuable those diagrams were, 122 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:40,160 coming from someone so artistically skilled. 123 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:40,880 Even today, 124 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:48,360 Da Vinci's many illustrations of human anatomy are still necessary studies. 125 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:50,120 Innovation and Invention. 126 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,880 Da Vinci's foresight was incredible. 127 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:59,160 He came up with drafts of several inventions that were finally brought to life 128 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:01,920 almost 500 years after he lived. 129 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:03,520 The helicopter, 130 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:04,240 the parachute, 131 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:05,560 the military tank, 132 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:06,920 the robot, 133 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:13,000 and scuba gear all sprang from ideas first put forth by Da Vinci. 134 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:14,360 And that's just a partial list. 135 00:06:14,360 --> 00:06:19,200 He had a particular interest in military and defense inventions, 136 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:23,800 and biographers have speculated that his various artistic endeavors were only 137 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:31,280 meant as stop gaps so he could find more work in warfare. 138 00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:31,960 Architecture. 139 00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:38,880 Da Vinci was fascinated with large scale construction projects and served as a 140 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:41,000 consultant to builders of his time. 141 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:46,000 He designed a system for canal locks that wound up being extremely close to the 142 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:47,160 types that are used today. 143 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:55,600 He even dove into urban planning with his conception of the ideal city. 144 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:55,920 Art. 145 00:06:55,920 --> 00:07:00,440 Da Vinci painted a couple of masterpieces you may have heard of, 146 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:03,040 the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. 147 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:09,080 His iconic Vitruvian man drawing of the human body is as much a piece of art as 148 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:10,960 a scientific explanation. 149 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:17,160 Da Vinci also revolutionized the use of landscapes in his art and was an early 150 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:18,640 innovator in the use of oil paint. 151 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:20,800 He was a sculptor as well. 152 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,440 Science. 153 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:28,640 Da Vinci's expertise made him a key figure in the development of studies in 154 00:07:28,640 --> 00:07:30,120 several different sciences. 155 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:35,840 He was the first to speculate that fossils would prove that Earth was far older 156 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:37,560 than those of his time believed. 157 00:07:37,560 --> 00:07:42,120 He made detailed depictions of plants that influenced how botany was studied. 158 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:45,880 He made intensive studies on the motion of water. 159 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:47,600 He designed mills, 160 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:48,360 machines, 161 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:50,160 and engines that were powered by water. 162 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:57,000 He even designed a musical keyboard that played bowed strings. 163 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:58,600 Occasionally he slept, 164 00:07:58,600 --> 00:07:59,480 we can assume. 165 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:02,880 But how did Da Vinci accomplish everything he did? 166 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:08,360 What made him so influential in so many different disciplines that continued to 167 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:10,000 be a part of our everyday lives? 168 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:15,760 Was it truly a level of creative genius that few have been able to aspire to 169 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:16,520 ever since? 170 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:17,800 Yes, 171 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:19,480 and no. 172 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:25,360 Author Michael Gelb explored possible reasons in his book How to Think Like Da 173 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:25,880 Vinci. 174 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:30,600 Gelb examined a multitude of Da Vinci's achievements and notebooks and 175 00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:36,360 speculated on a few facets of the polymath's career and traits that could 176 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:40,680 explain why the Renaissance man was so prolific and visionary. 177 00:08:40,680 --> 00:08:47,320 What's inspirational about Gelb's list is that the traits that define Da 178 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:53,000 Vinci's genius are all inborn human elements each of us can improve with just a 179 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:54,240 little more awareness. 180 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:59,880 Even if we can't conceptualize a flying machine or an iconic piece of art, 181 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:00,960 as Da Vinci did, 182 00:09:00,960 --> 00:09:06,120 we can easily emulate his approach to improve the quality of our minds and what 183 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:07,120 we produce. 184 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:08,080 Thus, 185 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:12,920 it can be said that we can indeed think like Da Vinci and learn the fundamental 186 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:14,480 mindsets he possessed, 187 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:18,160 albeit perhaps not as effectively or intensely. 188 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:23,920 Gelb identified a few traits in particular that he felt were responsible for Da 189 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:26,120 Vinci's creative prolific habits. 190 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:29,400 I'll present my own in the following chapter. 191 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:32,800 Insatiable Curiosity. 192 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:38,240 Da Vinci was driven to know the truth in all its aspects. 193 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:40,880 He was curious about scientific principles. 194 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:43,520 He was intent on finding out what worked. 195 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:47,480 He would ask why until he truly comprehended. 196 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:52,920 Indulging his own interest led him to visualize solutions to problems that 197 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:55,640 generations in the far off future would encounter. 198 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:58,160 When you're curious about something, 199 00:09:58,160 --> 00:10:02,600 you will attack it from every angle and never cease trying to solve it, 200 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:06,760 and that can lead to spectacular creativity and resourcefulness. 201 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:10,840 Seek knowledge through experience. 202 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:16,120 People in Da Vinci's time weren't used to challenging long-held beliefs through 203 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:17,880 their own investigation. 204 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:22,760 Governmental and religious forces discouraged the population from questioning 205 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:23,960 anything they decreed. 206 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:25,200 After all, 207 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:26,760 Galileo Galilei, 208 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,480 not quite a contemporary of Da Vinci's, 209 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:33,920 being born in 1564 while Da Vinci died in 1519, 210 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:39,520 came into great conflict with the church over his concept of heliocentrism, 211 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:44,040 the notion that the earth revolved around the sun and was not the center of the 212 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:44,680 universe. 213 00:10:44,680 --> 00:10:48,240 Da Vinci wouldn't have that restriction. 214 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:52,520 He sought to answer his questions through first-hand experience, 215 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:57,560 and wanted to get as many perspectives on a situation as he possibly could. 216 00:10:57,560 --> 00:11:02,320 It's only when you're able to challenge the so-called rules and conventional 217 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:03,280 ways of thinking that, 218 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:04,400 like Da Vinci, 219 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:06,040 you can be creative. 220 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:09,600 Embracing the Unknown. 221 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:13,960 Da Vinci didn't seek quick certainty. 222 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:15,080 He sought truth. 223 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:16,480 In doing so, 224 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:19,680 he had to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty, 225 00:11:19,680 --> 00:11:21,720 which is just how he liked it. 226 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:26,200 He went into situations and lines of thought without feeling he needed a 227 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:27,000 definite answer. 228 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:31,960 He knew that adhering to a strict code of safety and belief would keep him from 229 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:33,040 exploring the world, 230 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:37,600 so he circumvented the rules and accepted the unfamiliar. 231 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:42,320 Balancing Art and Science. 232 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:44,960 More than anyone, 233 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:49,360 Da Vinci held logic and imagination in equal importance. 234 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:54,640 He balanced the two apparent opposites and saw how both approaches were 235 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:56,040 important in decoding truth. 236 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:59,760 By holding art and science in equal esteem, 237 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:04,520 Da Vinci obtained a more complete overview of the world that fascinated him. 238 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:09,720 It's likely this mixture of interests that was in part responsible for his 239 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:11,440 degree of insight and genius. 240 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:19,040 His imagination was so powerful that inventors born centuries after Da Vinci 241 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:22,720 used his notes and observations to build their own creations. 242 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:23,840 For us, 243 00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:28,720 this could mean looking for answers to practical questions through the arts, 244 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:34,920 using drawings to explain complex functions or music to describe the functions 245 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:35,440 of a beating heart. 246 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:42,320 Da Vinci's motivations were so broad and all-encompassing that his ability to 247 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:47,360 channel them into focused work and results almost makes him superhuman. 248 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:52,880 But the factors that drove Da Vinci are ones that almost all other humans on 249 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:54,080 earth can emulate, 250 00:12:54,080 --> 00:12:57,840 and they serve as a kind of blueprint for creative thinking. 251 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:02,320 The Psychology of Creativity. 252 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:04,600 Still, 253 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:09,000 attaining that kind of creativity is difficult for some of us to imagine. 254 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:10,280 Worse yet, 255 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:12,560 some of us feel that it is impossible. 256 00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:15,680 Creativity is popularly considered, 257 00:13:15,680 --> 00:13:17,800 not entirely accurately, 258 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:20,120 more of an impulse than a function. 259 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:21,200 Often, 260 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:25,440 creativity is tied to the notion of natural talent that only certain people 261 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:26,000 possess. 262 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,040 That assumption is also incorrect. 263 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:31,880 Just like analysis, 264 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:32,680 memory, 265 00:13:32,680 --> 00:13:33,640 and communication, 266 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:38,440 creativity is a complex function administered by several parts of the human 267 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:38,800 brain. 268 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:44,520 Researchers have spent myriad hours in lab environments trying to determine 269 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:49,600 where creativity comes from and what parts of our anatomy control it. 270 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:54,440 While they've made progress and come up with some firm determinations, 271 00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:59,160 perhaps the elusive nature of creativity has transformed its mystery into 272 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:01,840 certain myths about the brain's role. 273 00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:05,600 The Left Brain, 274 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:06,680 Right Brain Myth. 275 00:14:06,680 --> 00:14:10,360 This idea is certainly responsible, 276 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:11,240 in large part, 277 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:14,760 for perpetuating the notion that creativity is inborn. 278 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:17,480 In the 1970s, 279 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:20,600 neuropsychologist Roger Speary worked on a study, 280 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:24,400 the findings of which gave rise to the theory of the split brain. 281 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:29,400 Speary's work suggested that the two hemispheres of the human brain control 282 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:30,720 different realms of thinking, 283 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,800 the left side handles logic and analysis, 284 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:37,880 and the right side enables intuition and subjectivity. 285 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:41,280 When these findings were published in the media, 286 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:44,520 casual readers seized on the dichotomy of left brain, 287 00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:46,560 right brain people. 288 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:48,120 Scientific, 289 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:49,200 mathematical, 290 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:52,360 and practical people were thought to be dominated by their left brains, 291 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:53,800 whereas creative, 292 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:54,640 artistic, 293 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:57,960 and imaginative people were controlled by the right side. 294 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:03,640 This catchy contrast is impressed upon many of us as scientific fact, 295 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:05,200 but it's a myth, 296 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:05,760 or, 297 00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:06,840 more accurately, 298 00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:11,560 an overly simplistic explanation of how the brain actually functions. 299 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:18,240 Speary's experiments involved animals and humans who had their corpus callosums 300 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:18,920 severed. 301 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:23,720 The corpus callosum is the thick bunch of fibers that connects the left and 302 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:29,200 right hemispheres of the brain and serves as the conduit of information between 303 00:15:29,200 --> 00:15:29,880 the two sides. 304 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:36,360 Some epilepsy patients had their corpus callosums surgically cut to lessen the 305 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:37,240 effects of seizures, 306 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:42,120 so only one side of their functioning would be impaired during a seizure. 307 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:45,800 So in someone with a severed corpus callosum, 308 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:47,400 if the right eye, 309 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:48,760 left brain, 310 00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:49,720 sees a table, 311 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:51,200 the left brain says, 312 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:51,720 table, 313 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:55,560 and everyone's comfortable with the fact that the table has been correctly 314 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:56,320 identified. 315 00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:59,000 But if the left eye, 316 00:15:59,000 --> 00:15:59,960 right brain, 317 00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:00,680 sees a table, 318 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:02,200 the right brain says, 319 00:16:02,200 --> 00:16:02,560 well, 320 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:04,800 probably something unintelligible, 321 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:05,840 we're not sure what. 322 00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:10,600 Each side of the brain controls the opposite side of the body. 323 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:14,160 The left brain controls the right eye and vice versa. 324 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:18,840 Speary discovered that when test subjects covered their left eye, 325 00:16:18,840 --> 00:16:20,560 controlled by the right brain, 326 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:25,200 they were able to process and accurately name certain items their right eye saw. 327 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:27,840 But when they covered their right eye, 328 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:29,560 controlled by the left brain, 329 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:33,960 they couldn't remember any of the items they saw with their left eye. 330 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:36,560 Through his studies, 331 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:42,080 Speary isolated certain functions that the left and right brains performed and 332 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:44,080 how they applied to language, 333 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:44,480 math, 334 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:45,280 drawing, 335 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:46,440 interpretation, 336 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:47,080 speech, 337 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:47,880 and so forth. 338 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:53,760 From these results came a very overgeneralized picture that the left brain is 339 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:56,320 analytical and the right brain is creative. 340 00:16:56,320 --> 00:17:01,680 Even though Speary himself cautioned against making that rash distinction, 341 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:04,120 when it was discovered by popular culture, 342 00:17:04,120 --> 00:17:06,360 it was too catchy to resist. 343 00:17:06,360 --> 00:17:10,960 From these results came the theory that the two sides of the brain handle 344 00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:13,680 entirely different kinds of processing. 345 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:16,400 The left side deals with numbers, 346 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:17,160 language, 347 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:17,720 and reasoning. 348 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:20,800 The right side oversees emotions, 349 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:21,800 creativity, 350 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:22,840 and intuition. 351 00:17:22,840 --> 00:17:25,400 If it sounds like a leap in logic, 352 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:27,160 that's because it is. 353 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:31,320 The truth about the brain is a little more complex, 354 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:34,440 and Speary himself insisted we remember that. 355 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:35,520 Yes, 356 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:39,720 the left and right sides of our brains can handle different functions and 357 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:44,680 collaborate with each other through the corpus callosum to get thinking done. 358 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:50,680 But researchers found that both sides do roughly the same amount of activity in 359 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:51,800 all people. 360 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:57,160 A mathematician's right brain doesn't just turn down when they're working, 361 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:01,480 and a composer doesn't simply suspend their left brain when they're writing. 362 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:07,120 A great example of how the two halves of the brain work together is in learning 363 00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:07,760 a language. 364 00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:09,640 The left brain, 365 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:11,040 analysis central, 366 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:14,600 identifies the alphabet and pronunciation of certain words, 367 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:17,880 but the right brain picks up on intonation, 368 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:18,680 stress, 369 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:20,160 and emotional content. 370 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:25,880 The two sides collaborate to determine the whole meaning of a word or phrase in 371 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:26,840 a certain language. 372 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:31,400 So you're not a left brain or right brain person, 373 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:32,160 no one is. 374 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:37,280 Creativity engages all aspects of the brain and calls upon different functions 375 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:37,960 in both sides. 376 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:43,760 Understanding that could be the key to unlocking your creative possibilities. 377 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:46,920 Creativity is indeed something learnable, 378 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:51,280 but it doesn't particularly matter how good you are at math. 379 00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:56,000 Default Mode Network. 380 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:01,160 As you might suspect and have experienced firsthand, 381 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:04,560 the brain has multiple types of functioning modes. 382 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:06,400 When you're sleeping, 383 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:07,080 for instance, 384 00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:10,960 the brain has a very specific focus and set of duties. 385 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:14,040 When you're trying to solve a difficult math problem, 386 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:17,920 you activate what's called the Executive Attention Network. 387 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:23,800 This mental mode helps your brain hyper-focus and accomplish a specific goal 388 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:27,680 that requires concentration and ignoring potential distractions. 389 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:30,760 As you might also predict and hope, 390 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:34,600 there's another type of mental mode that assists in creativity, 391 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:36,080 abstract thinking, 392 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:37,960 and the generation of ideas. 393 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:41,480 It's not just one that you can push yourself into, 394 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:43,640 rather it's the opposite. 395 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:46,640 You must relax yourself into it. 396 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:51,960 If a solution is outside of your brain's familiar experience, 397 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:54,160 which is shaped by your beliefs, 398 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:54,880 culture, 399 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:55,720 and biases, 400 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:58,840 your conscious mind will most likely never find it. 401 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:03,600 The conscious mind deals too much in fact and the present, 402 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:08,320 which stands in stark contrast to abstract thought and conceptual thinking. 403 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:14,080 An analytical search for a solution can comb through the entire content of your 404 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:15,480 mind's known, 405 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:17,800 but not outside of it. 406 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:22,200 Novel answers reside outside of your mind's known box, 407 00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:25,400 and the subconscious is the first place to look. 408 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:31,200 When you allow your brain to integrate new information with existing knowledge 409 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:32,440 on a subconscious level, 410 00:20:32,440 --> 00:20:38,440 it can establish new connections and see patterns not obvious to your conscious 411 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:38,800 mind. 412 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:44,120 Creative solutions and ideas are more likely to bubble up from a brain that 413 00:20:44,120 --> 00:20:46,960 applies unconscious thought to a problem, 414 00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:51,480 rather than going at it in a deliberate approach with your frontal lobe. 415 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:56,720 When your thinking brain is inundated with information and analysis, 416 00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:02,280 it doesn't have the opportunity to connect concepts or make creative leaps. 417 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:06,640 Science shows that your brain's resting state, 418 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:09,360 called the default mode network, 419 00:21:09,360 --> 00:21:10,400 DMN, 420 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:14,920 which is activated when you stop thinking about something specific and just veg 421 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:15,280 out, 422 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:18,040 is the best place to park a problem. 423 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:20,640 In the DMN, 424 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:23,040 your brain does some of its best, 425 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:24,280 wisest, 426 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:26,080 and most creative work. 427 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:33,520 Research from Rachel and Snyder in 2007 demonstrates a predictable pattern of 428 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:38,720 neurological activity that's your brain's go-to state when it's at rest, 429 00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:44,000 not focused on anything in particular or actively engaging with its environment. 430 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,320 It's associated with experimental thinking, 431 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:48,880 mind wandering, 432 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:49,920 emotions, 433 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:51,400 past encounters, 434 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:52,200 and intuition. 435 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:56,880 The imagination network is used in situations like brainstorming, 436 00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:57,640 painting, 437 00:21:57,640 --> 00:21:58,600 daydreaming, 438 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:00,480 or devising a new recipe. 439 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:01,440 Yes, 440 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:05,480 this is where you might consider most creative thinking to occur, 441 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:10,800 while execution and analysis occurs in the other mental networks. 442 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:16,400 This mental state is also where ruminating and worrying takes place. 443 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:17,000 Hey, 444 00:22:17,000 --> 00:22:20,120 no one said that it wasn't going to have its downsides. 445 00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:25,240 The harder and more cognitively demanding a particular task is, 446 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:28,080 the less the DMN is activated. 447 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:32,880 We'll discuss later on how to use this DMN to your advantage. 448 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:35,240 Creatives, 449 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:37,600 crazy or genius? 450 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:42,360 When some of us think of legendarily creative people, 451 00:22:42,360 --> 00:22:46,680 we occasionally make the very dubious observation that many of them were, 452 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:47,960 to some degree, 453 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:48,760 crazy. 454 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:53,800 The meaning of creativity infers the ability to invent something out of 455 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:54,160 nothing, 456 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:58,560 to call into existence something that wasn't there just a second ago. 457 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:04,760 That involves going outside the info processing boundaries of the brain and 458 00:23:04,760 --> 00:23:05,840 just making things up, 459 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:08,360 which some people might consider crazy. 460 00:23:08,360 --> 00:23:10,040 To be sure, 461 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:13,960 there have been some artists and creators who suffered from a variety of 462 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:15,080 emotional disorders, 463 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:16,360 Charles Dickens, 464 00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:17,400 Ernest Hemingway, 465 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:18,560 Virginia Woolf, 466 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:19,960 Tennessee Williams, 467 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:21,600 and Leo Tolstoy, 468 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:24,440 all dealt with clinical depression at some point, 469 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:26,240 according to certain studies, 470 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:27,680 which were, 471 00:23:27,680 --> 00:23:28,520 it should be noted, 472 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:30,160 highly contested by some. 473 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:33,320 Researchers also determined that many, 474 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:34,960 but not all creatives, 475 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:38,560 endured difficult life experiences like losing their parents, 476 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:40,040 social rejection, 477 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:41,800 or physical handicaps. 478 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:47,880 But no evidence has conclusively proven that mental illness is a contributor to 479 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:49,440 a creative person's productivity. 480 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:54,480 A study of over a million Swedish citizens conducted over a span of four 481 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:57,200 decades and completed in 2012, 482 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:01,680 found that artists were not likelier to have psychiatric ailments. 483 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:02,520 They were, 484 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:03,400 however, 485 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:08,120 found to have an unusually high number of relatives who suffered conditions 486 00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:08,600 like autism, 487 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:09,600 schizophrenia, 488 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:11,040 bipolar disorder, 489 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:13,520 or anorexia nervosa. 490 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:19,720 Artists themselves typically had more highly developed schizotypal traits. 491 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:21,200 Despite the name, 492 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:26,280 having these traits isn't quite the same as having a schizophrenic disorder. 493 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:27,640 In fact, 494 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,600 almost everybody on earth has these characteristics. 495 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:34,560 Schizotypal traits are mainly positive. 496 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:35,960 Generally speaking, 497 00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:40,080 they involve what motivational speakers would call thinking outside the box, 498 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:42,560 unique perspectives and experiences, 499 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:44,040 non-conformance, 500 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:46,520 maybe even a fanciful belief in magic. 501 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:50,840 There are some unseemly schizotypal traits as well, 502 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:54,000 cognitive disarray and difficulty-filling pleasure, 503 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:55,280 but by and large, 504 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:59,400 the schizotype reflects the positive aspects over the negative. 505 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:07,200 A 2008 study by British scientists Mark Beatty and Andrian Furman found that 506 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:11,280 positive schizotypes were associated with character traits like confidence, 507 00:25:11,280 --> 00:25:12,200 insight, 508 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:13,600 resourcefulness, 509 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:15,000 diverse interests, 510 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:16,520 and even sexiness. 511 00:25:16,520 --> 00:25:20,920 They were also oriented toward doing at least one creative thing every day. 512 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:22,480 Then of course, 513 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:24,240 there's the precuneus. 514 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:30,840 The precuneus is a part of the superior parietal lobule located between the 515 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:32,400 left and right hemispheres of the brain. 516 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:36,560 There's still some mystery about how it actually functions in relation to other 517 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:37,280 parts of the brain, 518 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:40,640 but it's known to have several very complex jobs, 519 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:42,960 memory retrieval in processing, 520 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:44,800 environmental analysis, 521 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:46,240 cue processing, 522 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:48,240 organizing mental images, 523 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:49,840 and pain reaction. 524 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:55,680 How the precuneus relates to creative people is that they can't turn the darn 525 00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:56,240 thing off. 526 00:25:56,240 --> 00:26:02,520 Neuroscientists Hikaru Takeuchi found in 2011 that creative types could not 527 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:04,600 suppress their precuneus. 528 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:08,360 They were unable to filter out inessential brain activity. 529 00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:12,880 While this might sound like Takeuchi said creatives were cluttered with 530 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:13,640 meaningless thoughts, 531 00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:18,440 what he actually meant was that they had more access to creative stimuli and 532 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:21,760 could put ideas from different networks together. 533 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:24,200 And in 2013, 534 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:29,680 Austrian researcher Andreas Fink found that there was a direct link between the 535 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:34,400 inability to suppress the precuneus and higher generation of original ideas. 536 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:40,400 What this all means is that the key to creative thinking is to let as much 537 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:44,720 information into one's brain as possible in order to make connections and 538 00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:47,080 associations between different elements. 539 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:51,160 Even if that cognitive process results in strange, 540 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:52,400 outlandish, 541 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:52,920 weird, 542 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:53,240 or, 543 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:54,400 say it together, 544 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:56,400 crazy associations, 545 00:26:56,400 --> 00:26:59,760 those connections often produce the most creative ideas. 546 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:04,320 This can be great for generating hundreds of ideas at once, 547 00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:05,440 if properly harnessed, 548 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:10,520 or result in mental chatter you can't escape that completely drowns out 549 00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:11,360 coherent thoughts. 550 00:27:11,360 --> 00:27:13,720 It can be a double-edged sword. 551 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:17,400 I don't want to speculate on whether Da Vinci was crazy, 552 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,880 but we do know that he came up with blueprints for the airplane, 553 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:21,560 the parachute, 554 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:22,280 the bicycle, 555 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:22,960 the guided missile, 556 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:24,600 and even the snorkel, 557 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:28,040 multiple centuries before they were physically invented. 558 00:27:28,040 --> 00:27:32,400 He could only generate those ideas by letting his precuneus run wild and 559 00:27:32,400 --> 00:27:35,840 thinking as creatively as anybody ever could. 560 00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:37,320 If that's crazy, 561 00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:39,520 then I'll have more crazy. 562 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,560 Just know that the side effects for such heights may be more than you bargained 563 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:43,880 for. 564 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:47,720 Creativity is good for your health. 565 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:51,600 Despite a dubious link to mental health, 566 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,560 being creative not only produces solutions, 567 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:56,000 new thought processes, 568 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:57,160 bold ideas, 569 00:27:57,160 --> 00:27:58,640 or a nice quilt, 570 00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:02,120 it actually has great benefits to your physical health. 571 00:28:02,120 --> 00:28:07,640 The American Journal of Public Health noted that engaging in a creative pursuit 572 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:09,760 is a great way to relieve stress. 573 00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:10,560 In fact, 574 00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:14,680 you don't even have to physically do something creative to de-stress. 575 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:19,000 The journal claims you just have to watch somebody doing something creative or 576 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:20,960 see the results of their work. 577 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:26,200 Creativity impacts the brain in much the same way that meditation does by 578 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:28,400 focusing on mindfulness, 579 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:29,720 being in the moment, 580 00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:32,360 and reflecting on internal process. 581 00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:33,760 Whether it's sewing, 582 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:34,480 painting, 583 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:35,640 building a garden, 584 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:36,480 or watching a movie, 585 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:42,000 both the act and the mere engagement with creativity naturally stimulate a 586 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:42,600 sense of calm. 587 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:46,800 Creativity also promotes increased functionality of the brain. 588 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:51,880 It encourages production of new neurons that are crucial to the central nervous 589 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:52,280 system. 590 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:55,280 According to the Croatian Medical Journal, 591 00:28:55,280 --> 00:29:00,200 art therapy has been found to be an extremely valuable tool in repairing brains 592 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:01,760 that have been injured in some way, 593 00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:05,960 helping to rewire some of the functionalities that have been damaged. 594 00:29:05,960 --> 00:29:11,560 CNN reported that middle-aged and older people who take up artistic pursuits 595 00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:16,720 were 73% less likely to develop the mental impairments that lead to dementia. 596 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:21,080 Considering those physiological benefits to creativity, 597 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:25,400 it's a wonder that anyone would de-mit something that should only be reserved 598 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:27,000 for one spare time or weekends. 599 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:32,480 It's a trait that needs to be engaged more in as many life areas as we can use 600 00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:33,080 it, 601 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:35,440 and certainly in view of how much he produced. 602 00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:39,680 Da Vinci obviously created nearly 24 hours a day. 603 00:29:39,680 --> 00:29:43,840 Creativity is the key. 604 00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:49,160 You probably don't need more convincing as to the benefits and virtues of being 605 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:52,000 able to think more creatively on a consistent basis. 606 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:55,680 You can see that it's led to some of the greatest innovations in history, 607 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:58,000 and it can keep you healthy and happy. 608 00:29:58,000 --> 00:29:59,120 And yet, 609 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:00,480 there is more. 610 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:04,240 Truly creative people can apply their faculties of asking, 611 00:30:04,240 --> 00:30:05,200 what if, 612 00:30:05,200 --> 00:30:07,560 to every single area of life, 613 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:11,200 specifically using their imaginations to solve problems. 614 00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:13,520 This makes sense when you think about it. 615 00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:15,200 Any problem you have is, 616 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:15,920 in a way, 617 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:17,560 a failure of imagination, 618 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:18,200 i.e., 619 00:30:18,200 --> 00:30:23,440 the failure to conceive of and access those ideas and concepts that constitute 620 00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:24,080 a solution. 621 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:28,240 Solving a problem requires something special of us. 622 00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:31,680 It asks that we think something we haven't thought before, 623 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:34,160 try something we haven't tried before, 624 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:37,560 or imagine a perspective that we currently don't hold. 625 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:40,160 What could be more creative than that? 626 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:46,920 Let's talk more concretely and look at exactly what we mean when we say problem 627 00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:49,520 before we talk about problem solving. 628 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:55,200 A problem is the experience of realizing that there's a gap between what is and 629 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:57,640 what you wish the case to be. 630 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:03,440 All problems can be framed as a tension between the reality and what you desire. 631 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:04,720 You're hungry, 632 00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:05,880 want food, 633 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:07,240 but don't have any food. 634 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:10,840 You wish that you had a garden without any pests to bother you, 635 00:31:10,840 --> 00:31:13,600 but you have aphids and want to be rid of them. 636 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:17,200 You have two equally important invitations for Saturday night, 637 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:19,200 and don't know which one to go to, 638 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:20,320 but you must decide. 639 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:22,600 There's a car heading right for you, 640 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:27,680 making it so that your desired future reality and the future reality it is 641 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:29,400 suggesting are in conflict. 642 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:30,960 You get the idea. 643 00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:33,520 Right in its very definition, 644 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,640 we see that problems are whatever they're defined to be. 645 00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:41,920 The way we conceptualize of a problem is more important than the problem itself. 646 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:43,000 In fact, 647 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:46,560 our manner of thinking about a situation is the problem. 648 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:47,560 Therefore, 649 00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:52,880 addressing how we engage mentally with reality is the best and only means to 650 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:54,400 arriving at a solution. 651 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:58,760 We can think of four main types of problems. 652 00:31:58,760 --> 00:32:02,200 The first type is where we know what the problem is. 653 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:03,680 We know what needs to be done, 654 00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:05,160 but for whatever reason, 655 00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:07,880 we can't motivate ourselves to take that action. 656 00:32:07,880 --> 00:32:12,720 The problem here is our resistance to actually bringing about the solution, 657 00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:14,840 or our procrastination, 658 00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:16,000 fear of change, 659 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:17,600 or lack of motivation. 660 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:22,040 Examples could include dragging your feet when it comes to going to the gym, 661 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:23,800 to achieve your fitness goals, 662 00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:26,760 struggling with quitting any kind of addiction, 663 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:32,160 or simply being lazy when it comes to taking those actions required to achieve 664 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:33,600 the outcomes we know we want. 665 00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:38,720 Solving these problems is more a matter of finding the right mindset to 666 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:42,640 manifest the solution that is already understood and identified. 667 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:47,480 The second type is also where we know what the problem is, 668 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:52,440 but to solve it requires more skill or knowledge than we currently have. 669 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:53,720 Here, 670 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:59,200 it's not so much a question of motivating ourselves psychologically or removing 671 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:01,560 unconscious resistance or limitations, 672 00:33:01,560 --> 00:33:07,640 but rather being more systematic in seeking out the information or expertise we 673 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:09,560 currently lack to solve our problem. 674 00:33:09,560 --> 00:33:13,640 You might be trying to choose between two potential careers, 675 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:17,440 but don't have enough information about either to make an informed decision. 676 00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:21,200 Your solution is therefore to seek that information. 677 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:25,400 If your problem is you have a hole in your roof and you don't know how to fix 678 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:25,480 it, 679 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:28,120 the solution is to seek a roofing expert. 680 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:32,720 If your personal accounts are in shambles and you're having trouble filing your 681 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:33,360 tax return, 682 00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:38,720 part of your response will be to create better techniques to store and organize 683 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:39,080 your data. 684 00:33:39,080 --> 00:33:44,720 Underlying all these solutions is simply adopting the right attitude and 685 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:46,880 systematically thinking about what's needed, 686 00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:47,840 what you have, 687 00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:48,720 what you don't have, 688 00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:49,920 and what you want. 689 00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:55,440 It's drawing a clear path between your current state and the state you want to 690 00:33:55,440 --> 00:33:55,800 be in. 691 00:33:55,800 --> 00:34:02,000 Creativity can also be substituted here for expertise or information. 692 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:08,040 You may put together a makeshift roof repair solution using what you know to 693 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:09,160 buy yourself more time. 694 00:34:09,160 --> 00:34:12,480 You may not know anything about taxes or accounting, 695 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:17,400 but you certainly use your creative thinking skills when you recall that you 696 00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:22,120 have a friend whose partner is an accountant and consider what you could offer 697 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:24,480 them in return for some expert advice. 698 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:29,160 A third type of problem is again where we know what the problem is, 699 00:34:29,160 --> 00:34:33,720 but the solution we need requires a total shift in perspective, 700 00:34:33,720 --> 00:34:35,960 a new pair of glasses to look through, 701 00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:39,280 a complete out-of-the-box approach. 702 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:45,560 This ability to reframe and reconsider is fundamentally a creative enterprise. 703 00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:50,960 This is because there is actually no new information needed or uncovered. 704 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:55,000 There's only the need to look at the same information in a different way. 705 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:57,440 We don't change the problem in front of us, 706 00:34:57,440 --> 00:35:00,600 but ourselves and how we perceive that problem. 707 00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:02,680 By being creative, 708 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:03,200 we ask, 709 00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:07,160 how is the question itself affecting my perception here? 710 00:35:07,160 --> 00:35:09,520 What other question could I ask? 711 00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:13,440 We give ourselves the opportunity to reframe, 712 00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:14,600 rearrange, 713 00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:15,440 and restructure. 714 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:20,760 We become curious about our variability to perceive and organize information 715 00:35:20,760 --> 00:35:23,640 and ask how we can change or become better. 716 00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:25,840 A classic example, 717 00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:30,600 your problem is that you have an irate customer who left a scathing review of 718 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:31,880 your business on a public site, 719 00:35:31,880 --> 00:35:34,480 but look at it another way. 720 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:39,640 This person is in a prime position to give you honest and very valuable 721 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:44,880 feedback about what's not working in your business so you can improve and avoid 722 00:35:44,880 --> 00:35:45,960 the outcome in future. 723 00:35:45,960 --> 00:35:47,320 What a gift. 724 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:49,440 What a shift in perspective. 725 00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:52,160 The problem is no longer a problem. 726 00:35:52,160 --> 00:35:54,280 Finally, 727 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:58,400 the category of problem that creativity is best able to solve. 728 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:02,720 Those problems that are actually unknown and need to be identified in the first 729 00:36:02,720 --> 00:36:03,160 place. 730 00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:07,200 This is the space where we challenge our assumptions and habits, 731 00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:09,000 brainstorm new ideas, 732 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:12,440 and get a better handle on the realm of what's possible. 733 00:36:12,440 --> 00:36:18,720 The trick with hidden problems is that they need to be uncovered first and this 734 00:36:18,720 --> 00:36:21,880 can only happen with a large dose of creative thinking. 735 00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:23,280 As an example, 736 00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:27,880 imagine that a couple starts experiencing problems in their relationship but 737 00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:29,080 don't really know why. 738 00:36:29,080 --> 00:36:33,520 They only know they don't get along anymore and things aren't working. 739 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:35,760 Is it a loss of spark? 740 00:36:35,760 --> 00:36:37,600 Old resentments? 741 00:36:37,600 --> 00:36:41,520 Is their problem actually perfectly normal for their stage of relationship? 742 00:36:41,520 --> 00:36:46,240 Does their communication style need improvement or is it simply that they're no 743 00:36:46,240 --> 00:36:47,400 longer as compatible? 744 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:50,280 By going to couples therapy, 745 00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:50,920 for example, 746 00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:55,360 they can begin to ask pointed questions to get to the root of the issue. 747 00:36:55,360 --> 00:36:59,760 Creative questions that they may never have thought to ask before. 748 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:03,240 Takeaways. 749 00:37:03,240 --> 00:37:07,080 Creativity is something we all want. 750 00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:09,520 But how can we even define it? 751 00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:14,440 Perhaps we can describe it best by looking at someone who appeared to embody 752 00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:15,080 creativity, 753 00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:16,560 Leonardo da Vinci. 754 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:21,920 He possessed a few traits in spades that may have been the keys to his success. 755 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:23,240 Curiosity, 756 00:37:23,240 --> 00:37:24,680 experimentation, 757 00:37:24,680 --> 00:37:25,520 mindfulness, 758 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:27,080 embracing the unknown, 759 00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:32,160 and balancing multiple disciplines in both artistic and scientific endeavors 760 00:37:32,160 --> 00:37:32,520 alike. 761 00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:34,840 We can emulate these traits, 762 00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:38,120 which means creativity is a learnable quality. 763 00:37:38,120 --> 00:37:43,600 The spark of insight that James Dyson used to create his revolutionary vacuum 764 00:37:43,600 --> 00:37:46,680 cleaner was a distillation of some of these traits. 765 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:48,680 Some of us, 766 00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:49,080 however, 767 00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:53,120 are constrained by one of the most long-standing myths in psychology, 768 00:37:53,120 --> 00:37:56,560 the myth of hemisphere-specific functionality. 769 00:37:56,560 --> 00:37:57,880 In other words, 770 00:37:57,880 --> 00:38:01,640 people believe that they have talent in only the left hemisphere, 771 00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:02,680 logic, 772 00:38:02,680 --> 00:38:03,920 rationality, 773 00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:05,120 or the right hemisphere, 774 00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:06,320 creativity, 775 00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:06,880 art. 776 00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:11,200 This leads us to believe that we are inherently destined for a lack of 777 00:38:11,200 --> 00:38:11,840 creativity. 778 00:38:11,840 --> 00:38:15,520 Basic neurobiology proves this to be untrue. 779 00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:16,600 Moreover, 780 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:20,960 three specific modes of thought all span both hemispheres. 781 00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:23,920 We're all two hemisphere thinkers. 782 00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:30,160 There have often been associations between creativity and mental illness. 783 00:38:30,160 --> 00:38:32,440 Do these claims hold any water? 784 00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:33,560 Yes, 785 00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:34,480 and no. 786 00:38:34,480 --> 00:38:37,480 There is certainly a correlation between the two groups, 787 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:40,800 but there is nothing to suggest that one causes the other. 788 00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:44,520 A major factor may be the functioning of the Precuneus, 789 00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:48,600 a brain structure that filters out mental chatter from your consciousness. 790 00:38:48,600 --> 00:38:49,480 Thus, 791 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:51,160 if it filters poorly, 792 00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:55,040 your head will be filled with endless chatter that you can't turn off. 793 00:38:55,040 --> 00:39:01,000 This can be fertile ground for creative ideas just as easily as insanity from 794 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:03,560 not being able to experience silence. 795 00:39:03,560 --> 00:39:07,160 We already know we want creativity, 796 00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:09,200 but it also has health benefits. 797 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:12,000 Creativity has been shown to reduce stress, 798 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:13,800 improve brain functioning, 799 00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:17,120 and create similar soothing effects to meditation. 800 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:20,800 This is achieved through keeping an active brain. 801 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:22,160 Last, 802 00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:23,560 and certainly not least, 803 00:39:23,560 --> 00:39:27,120 creativity gives you the tools and keys to solve problems. 804 00:39:27,120 --> 00:39:29,440 This might seem self-evident, 805 00:39:29,440 --> 00:39:32,520 but it's not always that we need creative solutions. 806 00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:33,400 Sometimes, 807 00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:36,240 we need to creatively define the problem as well. 808 00:39:36,240 --> 00:39:41,040 We frequently will need to look at matters from a completely different 809 00:39:41,040 --> 00:39:42,800 perspective to get where we want. 810 00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:46,480 This has been 811 00:39:46,480 --> 00:39:48,600 Rapid Idea Generation: 812 00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:49,880 How to Create, 813 00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:50,760 Innovate, 814 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:51,760 Conceive, 815 00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:57,520 and Invent From Scratch [Second Edition] (Think Smarter, 816 00:39:57,520 --> 00:40:10,360 Not Harder Book 5) By Peter Hollins, narrated by russell newton.