2.05.2011
The Spark of Inspiration, the Light of Insight
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Photo Credit: Deep brain Stimulation - Wikipedia Commons
Experience can be a disadvantage, since preconceptions may limit our ability to creatively solve a problem we think we've seen before. However, stimulating the brain in a certain way may provide flashes of insight, according to two scientists.
In a study of 67 adults, researchers found that electrical stimulation of two parts of the brain prompted three times as many participants to come up with an insightful solution to a puzzle compared with those who didn't receive a brain zap.
"Our experiences can blind us," write Richard Chi and Allan Snyder of the Centre for the Mind at the University of Sydney, in Australia, in the Feb. 2 issue of the journal PLoS ONE. "Once we have learned to solve problems by one method, we often have difficulties in generating solutions involving a different kind of insight." Read the full piece
Labels: brain, commons, electro-stimulation
