Thursday, June 25, 2009

Daydreaming as a Strategy?

How many times have you had that impossible problem or unsolvable dilemma that you just couldn't figure out...only to have the solution just "come to you" as you weren't concentrating on it?

Researches who have mapped the anatomy of the brain will tell you that when you allow your mind to wander, it is actually in a more active state than it is during focused reasoning with a complex problem. According to a recent Wall Street Journal report, having that "aha" moment requires more brain power than you can muster with your reasonable thinking.

So, the next time you're faced with a perplexing situation or problem, apply this theory by trying one of the following :

  • Take a bath (that's where Archimedes came up with a way to calculate density and volume)
  • Sit in a field (that's how Sir Isaac Newton come up with the law of gravity)
  • Take a nap (that's where Rene Descartes came up with coordinate geometry)
  • Take a walk (that's where Nicholas Tesla came up with alternating current)
  • Sit and daydream (that's where Albert Einstein came up with the ideas behind relativity).
Don't take my word for it. Here is the link to the article where the scientists will explain it all for you:

A Wandering Mind Heads Straight Toward Insight

1 comment:

Kathy Johnson said...

I agree - have had many aha moments at strange times - strange places.