Sunday 10 June 2007

Complete the sequence


In the short time that I've written this blog, I've learned quite a lot. The juxtaposition of elements occasionally makes a connection and bingo! A unique idea is born. And in a way, it's like the game bingo and like you, I'm following along with my own unique card waiting for the right sequence that will complete the circuit and bring an idea to life.

Obviously, it's not a conscious thing beyond being open minded. It's a little bit frightening really how the brain works. To put it into perspective, look at the Stroop Effect, SNARC, or look at the image below from MIT. Square A and B are the exact same shade of grey. (Explanation HERE)


The point that I'm putting forward is that by putting a wide variety of stimuli into your sensory diet, you give your brain more stimulation and a greater range of building blocks with which to generate ideas. Common sense really, but contrary to how people generally seek out stimulus.

Typically, we fall into patterns guided by preferences forged by experience, but what I would like people to do more is to go past initial reactions of dislike or critical judgment and broaden their experience. Again, it sounds simple but in practice, we need constant reminders that sometimes our knee jerk intuition is not always our friend.

Links:
MIT - CheckerSquare Illusion
Institute of Neuroesthetics
26 Reasons What Think is Right is Wrong (source: Conscientious)

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