From the discovery of fire to the conception of the World Wide Web, creativity has guided us in every step of our evolution.
We humans have a vast and active subconscious mind that does a lot of work for us. The ability to think about ideas and connect our knowledge in useful ways is what differentiates us from other species.
Let’s delve deeper into the idea and discuss where our creative insights come from:
About Abrupt Ideas – Those Sudden Bursts of Insight
How many times has it happened that you have thought long and hard about a problem but failed, only to have a sudden epiphany a few hours later doing something completely unrelated? Any human being who has had to solve a mildly complicated problem would relate to it.
These ‘aha-moments’ are an essential aspect of human creativity. Even though, we seemingly have stopped to think about the problem, our subconscious minds are constantly on it.
Some Brain Chemistry
To understand how these unexpected ideas occur, we need to understand a bit of brain chemistry.
Our brains are typically divided into two parts; the left hemisphere is concerned with logical and analytical thinking; whereas the right hemisphere deals with creative thinking.
Superior temporal gyrus, also known as the creative spot, is a brain lobe on both sides of the brain. This is the part where connections between ideas are made – the part where magic happens.
Why Great Ideas Come to Us When Least Expected
Although creativity is a very difficult concept to study, modern scientists have made a few conclusions on the subject. Here are three conditions in which our brains churn out the best of ideas:
- When our brains are releasing a lot of dopamine. Activities, such as listening to music and exercising, can lead to increased dopamine flow. This probably explains why some of us get have incredible ideas while taking a warm shower.
- A relaxed mind is also fruitful for creative ideas. In this calm state, our brains are able to make connections between ideas. This is the reason sleeping has been found to be good for creativity.
- Finally, a distracted mind can also produce some of the most wonderful ideas. Distraction from the problem at hand gives the brain a break, and lets the more powerful subconscious mind take charge.
Rekha Shrivastava at Blossom Hypnotherapy thoroughly understands the subconscious mind and creative processes. Using her expertise in hypnosis, she helps patients with pain management and weight loss in Rochester, New York. Contact us for a free consultation.
Sources
http://lifehacker.com/5987858/the-science-behind-creative-ideas
https://psmag.com/how-the-unconscious-mind-boosts-creative-output-9c462c914652#.2tsetu64k
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20131205-how-sleep-makes-you-more-creative
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