Study suggests drunk people are better at creative problem solving

Re:Study suggests drunk people are better at creative proble... by hobofan on Saturday April 21, 2018 @04:40AM (#16890560)

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.)

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Re:Study suggests drunk people are better at creative proble... by keithpeter on Saturday April 21, 2018 @05:24AM (#16890678)

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.

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Re:Study suggests drunk people are better at creative proble... by pbhjpbhj on Saturday April 21, 2018 @06:02AM (#16890776)

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.

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