4 ms·

This article seems like clickbait. The article doesn't provide any tangible evidence that consuming information impacts creativity. Personally, I find that sti

by mruts 7y ago

This article seems like clickbait. The article doesn't provide any tangible evidence that consuming information impacts creativity. Personally, I find that stimulus helps a lot with idea generation. Walking around, talking to friends, sitting in a bar, reading, etc. The more information that comes in, the more information that can be processed in unexpected ways. In contrast, just sitting in an empty room alone usually generates fewer novel ideas.

mantas 7y ago
Yes but no. Rather there's a threshold. On top of that, no input doesn't stop one from being creative in a unique way. You're bound re-invent already existing things though. Some input helps you to jump ahead and keep improving on top of what is already created. Too much input causes fatigue.
holowire 7y ago
Yes, and this is probably the more important half of it. While I agree that too much or habitual over-stimulus can have a profound negative effect on productivity, without a diverse and varied body of experience, the other half of the process—convergent thinking—has nothing to converge from. So while I don't think the article is inaccurate, it only explores half of the picture. _Excessive_ consumption does however imply an imbalance, but the article doesn't go much further than that.
Funes- 7y ago
>Walking around, talking to friends, sitting in a bar, reading, etc. Those are proactive intellective activities; whoever carries them out has to put some kind of effort in doing so. On the other hand, passive media consumption is effortless and has nothing to do with a conscious decision to engage in a more demanding task; it is driven by inertia and doesn't constitute an activity through which one can exercise their minds to a satisfactory extent.
ptidhomme 7y ago
> In contrast, just sitting in an empty room alone usually generates fewer novel ideas. I personally have had of my most creative ideas while being "idle" : in the shower, in the bathroom (yep), driving on a highway, in the train with no smartphone... Actually I no longer use a smartphone (I've commented on it on HN recently), and this has benefited me in many ways, among which higher creativity. Edit : I do read a lot, technical and non technical, which makes an input.

by mruts 7y ago

mantas 7y ago

Yes but no. Rather there's a threshold. On top of that, no input doesn't stop one from being creative in a unique way. You're bound re-invent already existing things though. Some input helps you to jump ahead and keep improving on top of what is already created. Too much input causes fatigue.

holowire 7y ago

Yes, and this is probably the more important half of it. While I agree that too much or habitual over-stimulus can have a profound negative effect on productivity, without a diverse and varied body of experience, the other half of the process—convergent thinking—has nothing to converge from. So while I don't think the article is inaccurate, it only explores half of the picture. _Excessive_ consumption does however imply an imbalance, but the article doesn't go much further than that.

Funes- 7y ago

>Walking around, talking to friends, sitting in a bar, reading, etc. Those are proactive intellective activities; whoever carries them out has to put some kind of effort in doing so. On the other hand, passive media consumption is effortless and has nothing to do with a conscious decision to engage in a more demanding task; it is driven by inertia and doesn't constitute an activity through which one can exercise their minds to a satisfactory extent.

ptidhomme 7y ago

> In contrast, just sitting in an empty room alone usually generates fewer novel ideas. I personally have had of my most creative ideas while being "idle" : in the shower, in the bathroom (yep), driving on a highway, in the train with no smartphone... Actually I no longer use a smartphone (I've commented on it on HN recently), and this has benefited me in many ways, among which higher creativity. Edit : I do read a lot, technical and non technical, which makes an input.