4 ms·

So the benefit of being slightly drunk is that it removes your focus, so that you might find creative solutions which until then where outside of your radar. I

So the benefit of being slightly drunk is that it removes your focus, so that you might find creative solutions which until then where outside of your radar. I guess that's true, but don't you get the same effect by having a long walk or a good night's sleep?

foota 9y ago
I'm confused, how would getting a night's sleep decrease focus?
- hobofan 9y ago
  During your waking day, when you think about a problem you start tackling it with a specific strategy and accumulate thoughts (assumptions) regarding those strategies. Even if you discard them over the course of your day, you are still biased/focused towards that train of thought. A good night's sleep which takes your mind out of conscious thought then resets/defocuses your mind again and you are more receptible to new ways of tackling the problem. (All of the above is just vague anecdotal evidence, and I have no idea if there is any scientific basis for any of it.)
  - keithpeter 9y ago
    The Psychology of Invention in the Mathematical Field by Jacques Hadamard, himself a mathematician is not scientific but a good source of anecdotes and systematic attempts at introspection. I find that 'stepping away' from the details after immersion for a few days and allowing the pieces to re-align themselves does seem to pay benefits, even with the mundane and practical problems I need to solve. I agree with the grandparent post that alcohol is not the only de-focusing agent around.
  - pbhjpbhj 9y ago
    Related: I was reading somewhere yesterday (reddit?) about hypnogogia and how creative types used the gap between sleep and wakefullness to tap the minds creative/artistic thought. Basically a light version of using drugs for creative stimulation: instead of creating the altered state, tapping the altered states that are already present at certain times.
- tachyonbeam 9y ago
  Not necessarily the sleep itself, but I've had many good ideas while trying to fall asleep, when I wasn't actively focusing on anything. The default mode network is thought to be involved in creative thinking, and it's most active when you're not actively focused on a task: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_mode_network https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_mode_network
droidist2 9y ago
Hmm, actually this reminds me of the 4am creativity boost I've experienced and then heard mentioned again on Studio 60 ("4 A.M. Miracle") where they say it "erodes your internal sensors."
- socrates666 9y ago
  ... that sounds like a bad thing.
  - manicdee 9y ago
    Only on about day three when you are trying to straighten up the computer screen which is wonky in directions that don’t exist.
droidist2 9y ago
What about showering? What's that about? Is it the water, or just standing naked in a small room?

foota 9y ago

I'm confused, how would getting a night's sleep decrease focus?

hobofan 9y ago
During your waking day, when you think about a problem you start tackling it with a specific strategy and accumulate thoughts (assumptions) regarding those strategies. Even if you discard them over the course of your day, you are still biased/focused towards that train of thought. A good night's sleep which takes your mind out of conscious thought then resets/defocuses your mind again and you are more receptible to new ways of tackling the problem. (All of the above is just vague anecdotal evidence, and I have no idea if there is any scientific basis for any of it.)
- keithpeter 9y ago
  The Psychology of Invention in the Mathematical Field by Jacques Hadamard, himself a mathematician is not scientific but a good source of anecdotes and systematic attempts at introspection. I find that 'stepping away' from the details after immersion for a few days and allowing the pieces to re-align themselves does seem to pay benefits, even with the mundane and practical problems I need to solve. I agree with the grandparent post that alcohol is not the only de-focusing agent around.
- pbhjpbhj 9y ago
  Related: I was reading somewhere yesterday (reddit?) about hypnogogia and how creative types used the gap between sleep and wakefullness to tap the minds creative/artistic thought. Basically a light version of using drugs for creative stimulation: instead of creating the altered state, tapping the altered states that are already present at certain times.
tachyonbeam 9y ago
Not necessarily the sleep itself, but I've had many good ideas while trying to fall asleep, when I wasn't actively focusing on anything. The default mode network is thought to be involved in creative thinking, and it's most active when you're not actively focused on a task: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_mode_network https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_mode_network

droidist2 9y ago

Hmm, actually this reminds me of the 4am creativity boost I've experienced and then heard mentioned again on Studio 60 ("4 A.M. Miracle") where they say it "erodes your internal sensors."

socrates666 9y ago
... that sounds like a bad thing.
- manicdee 9y ago
  Only on about day three when you are trying to straighten up the computer screen which is wonky in directions that don’t exist.

droidist2 9y ago

What about showering? What's that about? Is it the water, or just standing naked in a small room?