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During your waking day, when you think about a problem you start tackling it with a specific strategy and accumulate thoughts (assumptions) regarding those stra
by 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 agoThe 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 agoRelated: 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.