Lichtgedanken 04

Rubrik 49 04 | LICHT GEDANKEN Contact Dr Konrad Lehmann Institute of Zoology and Evolutionary Research Erbertstraße 1, D-07743 Jena, Germany Phone: +49 36 41 9-49 131 Email: konrad.lehmann@uni-jena.de www.bpf.uni-jena.de Bibliography Das schöpferische Gehirn. Auf der Suche nach der Kreativität—eine Fahndung in sieben Tagen, Springer-Verlag, Berlin 2018 ISBN 8-3-662-54661-1 conducting detailed research into how creativity arises in the brain in recent years. I really enjoyed working my way through these findings and editing them in a scientific manner, whilst also creat- ing what I hope to be an entertaining and easy-to-understand book. Intrinsic motivation—as you discover in Chapter 3—is a pre-requisite for creativity.« The background story and the informal tone of the book make the scientific facts and results of the latest research easier to access. The experienced neu­ roscientist invites you to search for clues in the nervous system, and thus leads you deeper and deeper into the matter. Along the way, he ponders why creative insights often occur suddenly and unex- pectedly. Creativity doesn’t come from nothing— good ideas take time Even when an idea appears to come from nothing, it is owed to an elaborate process. Back in the 1920s, the English psychologist Graham Wallas divided it up into five phases, which Lehmann draws upon: the starting point is the preparation through learning and col- lating information. Then there is a phase in which nothing appears to happen. But the brain works during this incu­ bation period. A feeling that one is close to solving the problem arises in the per- son in question—and then the brain- wave hits. After careful analysis, one concludes that a good result has been found. The incubation phase is of particular in- terest to neurologists, as it is responsible for the element of surprise associated with a brainwave. After all, a moment of creativity often occurs when we are not in »thinking mode«. And it is precisely this that may be the reason for the creative inspiration, as Lehmann vividly describes. Brain re- searcher Marcus Raichle was the first to conduct in-depth studies into areas of the brain that are active when people do nothing. »There is a limited number of regions that always fall silent when attention is required«, explains Konrad Lehmann. »This implies that these parts of the brain are always active when no attention is required.« It is precisely this network of areas of the brain, which are responsible for introspection and »a stable, continuous self«, that provide freedom for creativity. Konrad Lehmann uses metaphorical excursions into our head to describe the various processes, which guarantee our inventiveness. He also looks at ques- tions of talent and genetic predisposi- tions and provides answers. And, along the way, he provides a colourful com- bination of cultural history and modern neurology. Neuroscientist Dr Konrad Lehmann. Image left: The creativity network within the human brain is always at work when the mind is taking a break from abstract thought.