There's a battle going on in there between logic and creativity. (Photo credit: Liz Henry)
I pore over studies on creativity, and recently I noticed a consistency across these many creativity studies that took me years to notice, let alone articulate. A consistency that most authors of these studies allude to in some way, and in different ways. I'd like to share a unified way of thinking about creativity, supported directly by these many studies, that helped me to better understand this important skill, but, more importantly, could help us all be more creative in business, marketing, and in life.
Theory: In order to improve our reality through creativity, we must first detach from that same reality.
The studies on creativity suggest to me that there are two forces in our brains that are in a constant battle: logic and creativity. The logic force is critical for our functional survival in the now. Seth Godin calls it the "lizard brain." But I would argue creativity is critical for survival, too, only it's our survival in the future. Since the concept of "now" is, by definition, more urgent than "the future," I believe our creative force is naturally subdued by the logic force. Call it an evolutionary artifact. Logic doesn't want anything new. It wants understanding. But the creative force threatens our logic force by questioning everything we think we understand. It's a battle that the logic force unfortunately usually wins.
Creativity is what happens when we successfully limit the logic force in our brains.
Every study on creativity I've ever read hits on this point in a different way. Studies on coffee shop noise, daydreaming, freestyle rappers' brains, ADHD, dim lighting, alcohol, all of it. They are all very different studies testing very different creativity influences, but are unified, I believe, in that they all describe a different way to detach from reality, or successfully inhibit our logic force.
Below are brief descriptions of some of my favorite studies on creativity. I have provided links to the actual studies for more details, if you want them. But I will also note how each one supports this concept of detaching from reality.
The studies:
Coffee shop noise increases creativity. (details here) A fascinating study on how levels of noise can affect creativity. The finding is that moderate levels of noise (like that of the typical coffee shop) increase creativity. The authors of the study surmise that moderate sound "increases processing difficulty, inducing a higher construal level and thus promoting abstract processing." Sounds to me like the sound, when it's just enough sound, gives the logic forces in our brains something to do. And when logic isn't looking, our creative force can do its thing. Sneaky, but a good example of detaching from reality.
Freestyle rappers can turn off their executive function. (details here) Freestyle rappers are the Michael Jordans of rapping because they are making up the words to the song on the spot. Like improv comedians and jazz musicians, this kind of rapping requires enormous creativity and talent. Well, this study has neuroscientists putting great rappers in an fMRI machine to see what was going on in their brains when freestyling. One of the study's authors, Allen Braun, concluded this: "We think what we see is a relaxation of ‘executive functions’ to allow more natural de-focused attention and uncensored processes to occur that might be the hallmark of creativity." These artists were somehow able to detach themselves from the logic forces in their brains so that the creative forces could come through. Reality detached.
Daydreaming increases creativity. (details here) Do you get great ideas when you're in the shower, or chopping wood, or doing the dishes? I'm a shower guy, myself. Chances are, the increased creative production is due to the fact you're daydreaming through these menial tasks. What's happening? According to the study, "The observed parallel recruitment of executive and default network regions...suggests that mind wandering may evoke a unique mental state that may allow otherwise opposing networks to work in cooperation." A key to this one is that the effect only happens when people are unaware that they are daydreaming. Ding-ding! The logic force is kept busy with the menial task at hand and then productive daydreaming ensues. Reality detached.
Creating psychological distance increases creativity. (details here) Psychological distance, as it relates to creativity, is when a subject is asked to imagine themselves solving a problem as if they were in a distant land, or as if they were in a future time, or as if they were different people. This study shows that, when asked to project themselves into a new, abstract world or time, people hold onto less about the real world. As a result, their thinking is more abstract and creative. Again, when imagining a distant land, logic is forced to surrender to the creative force. Reality detached.
People with ADHD tend to be more creative. (details here) People with low "latent inhibition" and high IQs tend to be more creative. Here's why. Latent inhibition is a person's ability to ignore irrelevant information in the world, an important skill in navigating such a complex place. However, people with low latent inhibition, like those with ADHD, have less of a filter, and are more likely to notice seemingly irrelevant information around them. You could say their logic force is constantly subdued. As a result, they are more likely to make unexpected connections. Steven Johnson, in his great book, "Where New Ideas Come From," says that creativity happens when seemingly unrelated existing ideas collide to form new ideas. Those with low latent inhibition are more open to seemingly irrelevant information and, therefore, more likely to make new connections. Reality detached.
Dim lighting increases creativity. (details here) Ironic, considering the light bulb is the icon of the eureka! moment. But here, subjects were put into different camps, each defined by the level of lighting in the room. Turns out, the group in dim lighting were able to complete more creative tasks in less time than did the brightly lit subjects. “These results indicate that dim illumination heightens perceived freedom from constraints, which in turn improves creative performance,” the report concludes. Could be that if we give our logic force less reality to perceive (dim lighting), it's less likely to get in our way, creatively. Reality detached.
Drinking alcohol increases creativity. (details here) We all know that alcohol can affect our judgment, but now we know that, in so doing, alcohol can improve our creativity. In this fascinating study, subjects were brought to a blood alcohol content of roughly .075, and then completed a battery of creativity exercises. The intoxicated subjects solved more problems in less time than did the sober subjects. As Jennifer Wiley, one of the co-authors of the study, put it, "Different tasks and situations are best served by varying states of consciousness and cognition." They went on to describe the alcohol-induced state as a "diffuse attentional state." Reality detached, on the rocks.
All of which brings me to a new question about creativity.
There are countless other studies that affirm the same thing. When we can detach ourselves from our immediate reality, we tend to be more creative. Whether it's through dim lighting, alcohol consumption, psychological distance, the noise of a coffee shop, or some other methods perhaps in combination, it's all about distracting, if not outright tricking, our own logic force to get out of the way.
And now I have a new question about creativity: If creativity is a result of two opposing forces (logic and creativity) battling it out, where does the concept of "talent" live in that equation? Is it found solely in the ability to subdue logic? Is it found solely in the ability to amp up our creativity so that it overpowers our logic force? Is it some combination?
Regardless, it's satisfying to me that creativity is not an all-or-nothing game. These studies tell me that anyone can be creative. As long as they can find their own way to detach from their own reality.
