Home > Author > Jonah Lehrer
41 " People who are more rational don't perceive emotion less, they just regulate it better. "
― Jonah Lehrer , How We Decide
42 " In fact, the only way to remain creative over time--to not be undone by our expertise--is to experiment with ignorance, to stare at things we don't fully understand. "
― Jonah Lehrer , Imagine: How Creativity Works
43 " If our DNA has a literary equivalent, it's Finnegan's Wake. "
― Jonah Lehrer , Proust Was a Neuroscientist
44 " You might solve a problem while drunk, but you probably won´t notice the answer "
45 " Unless you experience the unpleasant symptoms of being wrong, your brain will never revise its models. Before your neurons can succeed, they must repeatedly fail. There are no shortcuts for this painstaking process. "
46 " You break out of the box by stepping into shackles.From Imagine: How Creativity Works pg 23 (hardcover) "
― Jonah Lehrer
47 " The world is more random than we can imagine. That's what our emotions can't understand. "
48 " Why is a relaxed state of mind so important for creative insights? When our minds are at ease — when those alpha waves are rippling through the brain — we’re more likely to direct the spotlight of attention inward, toward that stream of remote associations emanating from the right hemisphere. In contrast, when we are diligently focused, our attention tends to be directed outward, toward the details of the problems we’re trying to solve. While this pattern of attention is necessary when solving problems an-alytically, it actually prevents us from detecting the connections that lead to insights. “That’s why so many insights happen during warm showers,” Bhattacharya says. “For many people, it’s the most relaxing part of the day. "
49 " In fact, even fleeting feelings of delight can lead to dramatic increases in creativity. After watching a short, humorous video — Beeman uses a clip of Robin Williams doing standup — subjects have significantly more epiphanies, at least when compared with those who were shown scary or boring videos. Because positive moods allow us to relax, we focus less on the troubling world and more on these remote associations. Another ideal moment for insights, according to Beeman and John Kounios, is the early morning, shortly after waking up. The drowsy brain is unwound and disorganized, open to all sorts of unconventional ideas. The right hemisphere is also unusually active. "
50 " The advantage of knowing where insights come from is that it can make it easier to generate insights in the first place. When we’re struggling with seemingly impossible problems, it’s important to find time to unwind, to eavesdrop on all those remote associations coming from the right hemisphere. Instead of drinking another cup of coffee, indulge in a little daydreaming. Rather than relentlessly focusing, take a warm shower, or play some Ping-Pong, or walk on the beach. "
51 " When the mind is denied the emotional sting of losing , it never figures out how to win. "
52 " It is ironic but true: the one reality science cannot reduce is the only reality we will ever know. This is why we need art. By expressing our actual experience, the artist reminds us that our science is incomplete, that no map of matter will ever explain the immateriality of our consciousness. "
53 " Love is just another name for what never gets old. "
― Jonah Lehrer , A Book About Love
54 " Emerson looked like a Puritan minister, with abrupt cheekbones and a long, bony nose. A man of solitude, he was prone to bouts of selfless self-absorption. "I like the silent church before the service begins," he confessed in "Self-Reliance." He wrote in his journal that he liked man, but not men. When he wanted to think, he would take long walks by himself in the woods. "
55 " For too long, people have disparaged the emotional brain, blamingour feelings for all of our mistakes. The truth is far more interesting.What we discover when we look at the brain is that thehorses and the charioteer depend upon each other. If it weren'tfor our emotions, reason wouldn't exist at all. "
56 " Trusting one's emotions requires constant vigilance; intelligent intuition is the result of deliberate practice. "
57 " Expertise is simply the wisdom that emerges from cellular error. Mistakes aren't things to be discouraged. On the contrary, they should be cultivated and carefully investigated. "
58 " Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on my dopamine neurons. "
59 " When you overthink at the wrong moment, you cut yourself off from the wisdom of your emotions, which are much better at assessing actual preferences. You lose the ability to know what you really want. And then you choose the worst strawberry jam. "
60 " The mind is made out of used parts, engineered by a blind watchmaker. The result is that the uniquely human areas of the mind depend on the primitive mind underneath. The process of thinking requires feeling, for feelings are what let us understand all the information that we can't directly comprehend. Reason without emotion is impotent. "