How does our brain make ideas?

1% you are only aware of 1% of your brain's activity 99% much of our creativity comes from thought processes and brain activity of which we are not even conscious How does our brain make rideas?: -~/00 The Executive Network is the first of three neural networks that are important to creativity. It's the part of your brain that lets you focus your attention on something specific, like a movie or a sport. The Imagination Network comes into play when you mentally The Salience Network goes back and forth between the real world and your inner thoughts. It's what jolts you out of a day- dream when you hear your name. simulate alternative or future scenari- ous, like the kind of thoughts that start with "what if...?" The AHA moment When an idea or the answer to a problem just comes to you, in that AHA moment, a burst of high-frequency activity surges through your brain in an area just over your right ear. The four stages of the creative prOcess * ? Preparation Incubation Illumination Verification The first stage is a left- brain activity, when you define the problem or need that you need a creative solution for and For minutes, weeks or even years, your right brain works through the problem, bringing to- gether various memories and thoughts. In a rush of insight, ideas start popping up! Parts of a solution or even the whole solution at once Back in the right brain, you check whether the ideas you came up with actually meet your needs and evaluate how come to light. gather any necessary information. good they are. Three ways you can boost.your creativity Feed your brain Lose focus New experiences and fresh stimuli are the raw material your brain uses to cook up new ideas. The more you push your brain to build new neural pathways, the easier it gets. Let your brain switch from the executive network to the imagination network by relaxing your focus. Ideas come when your brain has the freedom to make connections between remote concepts. Sleep While you are sleeping, your brain is processing everything you saw and did during the day. Your subconscious is working on those problems that your waking mind couldn't solve. LG O ideas powered Information sources "Creativity is not a team sport': Interview Vincent Walsh, Prof Neuroscience UCL." By Nick Skillicon. bit.ly/1nWq25E "Neuroscience sheds new light on creativity." By Gregory Bums. bit.ly/1mhJMtS "The Aha! Moment : The Cognitive Neuroscience of Insight." By John Kounios and Mark Beeman. bit.ly/1p9rVrk (PDF) "The Real Neuroscience of Creativity." By Scott Barry Kaufman. bit.ly/1fYaN6q