Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

New study shows highly creative people’s brains work differently from others'

uclahealth.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 116 posts

Re: New study shows highly creative people’s brains work differently from others'

#61

Post by xeromal »

markdown wrote: post #41
mensetmanusman wrote: post #33

I am one of these highly creative types, and I would say I do not understand my biology. After my PhD@MIT I joined the materials industry and filed over 120 patents in nine years. I definitely did not expect this to happen, and I have no idea where the ideas come from. I’ll just be doing my routine lab work and get showered with ideas occasionally. Edit: Someone below mentioned schizophrenia and its association, and…

Do you actually make things, or is this just rent-seeking idea squatting?

You could phrase your comments to be a little less hostile with some different word choices.

Re: New study shows highly creative people’s brains work differently from others'

#62

Post by 62951413 »

robonerd wrote: post #24

I believe that everybody has the capacity to be creative, and those who think they don't are impeded not by a lack of creative spark, but rather by their own inhibitions and belief that they aren't creative. Part of this is cultural; engineers are told by society that an engineer/artist schism exists and incorporate that meme into their self-image, writing off their own ability to be creative. This becomes a self-ful…

Wouldn't that be a rather unique human trait not following the normal probability distribution?

Re: New study shows highly creative people’s brains work differently from others'

#63

Post by redmen »

robonerd wrote: post #24

I believe that everybody has the capacity to be creative, and those who think they don't are impeded not by a lack of creative spark, but rather by their own inhibitions and belief that they aren't creative. Part of this is cultural; engineers are told by society that an engineer/artist schism exists and incorporate that meme into their self-image, writing off their own ability to be creative. This becomes a self-ful…

That might be much more true for children. Definitely not the vast majority of adults.

Re: New study shows highly creative people’s brains work differently from others'

#64

Post by dv_dt »

adfjalkfja wrote: post #42
mensetmanusman wrote: post #33

I am one of these highly creative types, and I would say I do not understand my biology. After my PhD@MIT I joined the materials industry and filed over 120 patents in nine years. I definitely did not expect this to happen, and I have no idea where the ideas come from. I’ll just be doing my routine lab work and get showered with ideas occasionally. Edit: Someone below mentioned schizophrenia and its association, and…

Musicians often talk about songs appearing to them to the point they feel like they can't take credit for 'writing' them. They just appear out of nowhere and are finished in an hour or so. IME music written this way feels more organic and natural vs 'trying' to write a song over a long time period

I think this embodies the experience behind Greek mythological Muses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muses

Re: New study shows highly creative people’s brains work differently from others'

#65

Post by GuB-42 »

mattwad wrote: post #28
robonerd wrote: post #24

I believe that everybody has the capacity to be creative, and those who think they don't are impeded not by a lack of creative spark, but rather by their own inhibitions and belief that they aren't creative. Part of this is cultural; engineers are told by society that an engineer/artist schism exists and incorporate that meme into their self-image, writing off their own ability to be creative. This becomes a self-ful…

For sure. I have a bachelor's in Fine Arts but taught myself to code. I think the pendulum has swung too far, I need to get back to painting/drawing and exercise that muscle again :)

Make demos ;)

I am talking about the demoscene here.

Re: New study shows highly creative people’s brains work differently from others'

#66

Post by analog31 »

tgflynn wrote: post #37
mensetmanusman wrote: post #33

I am one of these highly creative types, and I would say I do not understand my biology. After my PhD@MIT I joined the materials industry and filed over 120 patents in nine years. I definitely did not expect this to happen, and I have no idea where the ideas come from. I’ll just be doing my routine lab work and get showered with ideas occasionally. Edit: Someone below mentioned schizophrenia and its association, and…

I used to have lots of ideas. The trouble is none of them actually worked.

This raises a good point. I've adopted a rule, that something is not an "idea" unless it's shown to work. This avoids the scenario where someone like a manager takes credit for blurting out a suggestion at a meeting, and then taking credit after someone else has actually made it work. It's especially tricky when a team is working on something, and someone has to figure out who's name goes on the patent submittal.

Re: New study shows highly creative people’s brains work differently from others'

#67

Post by yetanother12345 »

mensetmanusman wrote: post #33

I am one of these highly creative types, and I would say I do not understand my biology. After my PhD@MIT I joined the materials industry and filed over 120 patents in nine years. I definitely did not expect this to happen, and I have no idea where the ideas come from. I’ll just be doing my routine lab work and get showered with ideas occasionally. Edit: Someone below mentioned schizophrenia and its association, and…

> I am one of these highly creative types

And, article quote:

> "Exceptionally creative visual artists and scientists – called “Big C” creative types"

I wonder...

How is creativity graduated from, say "ordinary creativity" through "highly creative", to "Exceptionally creative"? What is the measurement unit, and how is the measurement done - what is the tool? The test group and control group - which controls/tests are they subjected to in order to place them in separate groups? Is the measurement unit reliable - if any such unit exists at all? Valid? How is this (validity and reliability / uncertainty), in turn, measured?

The article was interesting, but it does not seem to answer these questions. As the topic is creativity, failing to even define this most central keyword (much less provide any metric or method for identifying it) ... ehrm... (well, honestly, words fail me here, I don't know how to express this in a polite manner...) it's just not good

Re: New study shows highly creative people’s brains work differently from others'

#68

Post by the_cat_kittles »

mensetmanusman wrote: post #33

I am one of these highly creative types, and I would say I do not understand my biology. After my PhD@MIT I joined the materials industry and filed over 120 patents in nine years. I definitely did not expect this to happen, and I have no idea where the ideas come from. I’ll just be doing my routine lab work and get showered with ideas occasionally. Edit: Someone below mentioned schizophrenia and its association, and…

hey guys, im a genius lol. its ummm weird i guess

Re: New study shows highly creative people’s brains work differently from others'

#69

Post by robonerd »

cutler wrote: post #49
robonerd wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're speaking of interest and motivation, without which you won't try to be creative or hit the gym. But I believe the capability still exists within you, even if you choose to ignore it. Nobody is unable to be an artist because of the way they were born.

Maybe we're all capable of being a mediocre artist but artistic genius is another thing altogether.

It's not about being the best.

Re: New study shows highly creative people’s brains work differently from others'

#70

Post by [deleted] »

mensetmanusman wrote: post #33

I am one of these highly creative types, and I would say I do not understand my biology. After my PhD@MIT I joined the materials industry and filed over 120 patents in nine years. I definitely did not expect this to happen, and I have no idea where the ideas come from. I’ll just be doing my routine lab work and get showered with ideas occasionally. Edit: Someone below mentioned schizophrenia and its association, and…

[deleted]
Post reply on HN