The Reader’s Digest on the Brain
When viewed from above, the brain resembles the halves of a walnut. I will refer to the different halves as the left and the right modes (yes, science people, this is very simplified!).
Each side of the brain controls different functions. The left mode is usually the dominant side due to it controlling speech and language. The right mode has been described as the subordinate or minor hemisphere. Both sides work together.
A Brief History
In the 1940s, a study was done on people with different types of brain damage. They were asked to copy a picture of a house.
The results varied depending on which hemisphere remained intact. Patients reliant on the left hemisphere (due to right hemisphere damage) depicted a house that made little sense: front doors floated in space, and roofs were upside
down. However, they carefully sketched specifics, devoting much effort to capturing the shape of bricks or wrinkles in window curtains.
By contrast, patients who relied on the right hemisphere (due to left hemisphere damage) tended to focus on the structure’s overall shape. Their pictures lacked details, but they got the essential architecture correct. They focused on the whole, not the parts.
This research suggests that the two hemispheres performed different tasks apart from one another.
A Bad Rap for the Right
It appears the two hemispheres perform somewhat different functions, but later research placed a value on each.
Roger Sperry, Neuroscientist, and Nobel Prize winner, summarized the prevailing view in the 1980s of the right hemisphere. He said, “It is mute …word-deaf, and… generally lacking in higher cognitive function.” Sperry’s research suggested that the right hemisphere was not only expendable in the event of brain injury but also inferior in some way.
Redemption for the Right
In the early 1990s, Mark Beechman, a National Institutes of Health scientist, studied patients with right hemisphere damage.
He realized that the world is so complex that the brain has to process it in two different ways, simultaneously. Our brain needs to see the forest and the trees! The right hemisphere helps us see the forest.
He documented patients who were unable to understand jokes, sarcasm, or metaphors. Some had a tough time using a map or making sense of paintings.
What does it mean when Romeo calls Juliet his sun?
Romeo isn’t saying Juliet is a massive, flaming ball of hydrogen!!
Understanding a metaphor
Beechman noted that the left hemisphere handles the literal meaning of the words. In contrast, the right hemisphere deals with the connotation of words. I.E., the idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal meaning. When you laugh at the punch line of a joke, you are relying on the right hemisphere. Metaphors are a perfect example.
In Beechman’s view, the two hemispheres work on different tasks yet have equal importance. Further, a right-brained approach in the workplace might be good, even for left-brain dominant fields of employment.
Encouraging Creativity in the Workplace
3M has been inventing new products for over 100 years. It is ranked the third most innovative company in the workplace (behind Apple and Google).
3M spends 8% of its gross revenue on basic research, making it one of the largest of the Fortune 500’s.
Relaxation, Creativity & Bootlegging
3M was the first company to incorporate the Flexible Attention Work Policy. Instead of insisting on constant concentration (for 8 hours a day), 3M encourages employees to become active in activities that may appear nonproductive at first glance. While 3M has a high demand for productivity, they encourage employees to take regular breaks.
3M employees are encouraged to walk across campus when struggling with a complex technical issue. If a challenge seems impossible, lay down on a couch by a window and daydream.
Another 3M innovation is the “bootlegging hour,” which encourages 15% of the day working on speculative ideas. The only requirement is that it must be shared with colleagues.
Portrait of David Humes, by Allan Ramsay, 1754 (National Galleries of Scotland)
“Invention is the act of recombining.”
— David Humes, Philosopher, 1711-1776
- One way to develop creative insights is to find the remote connection between seemingly random ideas. The history of innovation is full of inventors recomposing and transposing.
- The Wright brothers took their knowledge of bicycle manufacturing to invent the plane.
- The inventor of Velcro, George de Mestral, was inspired after noticing burrs on his dogs’ fur, thus creating Velcro.
- Scotch tape inspired a 3M scientist who invented touch-screen technology in smartphones.
- 3M routinely rotates engineers, and scientists into different research departments to bring a fresh perspective to the lab. For example, a researcher specializing in inhalers might land in the department developing air conditioners. 3M rotates researchers every 4-6 years.
Relaxation & Creativity
When relaxed, the alpha waves are rippling through our brains; we will most likely have our attention inwards, letting remote association emulate from the right hemisphere.
Positive moods also help our creativity and often lead to relaxation. We are less focused on a troubling world and can access remote associations.
People with ADHD are often very creative and can easily make remote connections.
Another period of insight is in the morning, shortly after waking up. A tired mind is open to all kinds of unconventional ideas. For some, this happens before falling asleep.
Daydreaming is a potent tool for making remote connections. There are two different types of daydreaming. One is when the person is unaware that they are daydreaming. The second type is where the daydreamer is aware. When aware of daydreaming, the person remains conscious of their insights.
The chart below is from Betty Edwards’s book.* Understanding how the left and right modes function can help you better understand where and how you access your different modes.
The Critic
By understanding the need to relax, daydream and investigate the random, you will have more opportunities for inspiration.
When we attempt to force insight, we can prevent it. When the left mode is dominant, you are accessing; step-by-step procedures; seeing the parts, not the whole; drawing conclusions based on reason/facts; uses analytical and rational processes. And the left mode possesses the critic!
All of us experience the critic. It’s that constant chatter that finds fault. When you are in self-judging mode, it’s your left hemisphere working overtime! To find creative answers, you must understand how to access the right mode. I will explore that topic in my next blog.
* References:
- Imagine: How Creativity Works, by Jonah Lehrer
- Drawing From the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards