Imagine
by Jonah Lehrer · first published 2012
43% recommend57% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Accessible pop-science look at how creativity works, covering focus versus inspiration and how to foster innovation within teams; readers say it is a really good read for anyone interested in creative thinking.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"Did you know that the most creative companies have centralized bathrooms? That brainstorming meetings are a terrible idea? That the color blue can help you double your creative output? From the best-selling author of How We Decide comes a sparkling and revelatory look at the new science of creativity. Shattering the myth of muses, higher powers, even creative 'types, ' Jonah Lehrer demonstrates that creativity is not a single gift possessed by the lucky few. It's a variety of distinct thought processes that we can all learn to use more effectively. Lehrer reveals the importance of embracing t
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Check out Imagine. Really great read on where creativity comes from and how to foster innovation within teams. http://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Creativity-Works-Jonah-Lehrer/...
on “My Reading Lists” ↗Have you seen the book "Imagine: How Creativity Works" by Jonah Lehrer? It explains how the above process works in a general way, and it's really interesting. It's a pop-science book, to be sure, but still a really good read. http://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Creativity-Works-Jonah-Lehrer/...
on “Feynman: I am burned out and I'll never accomplish anything” ↗If you haven't, I highly recommend reading Jonah Lehrer's book Imagine: http://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Creativity-Works-Jonah-Lehrer/... It turns out that there are two sides to creativity: a more left-brained tendency to focus on something and take it to completion and…
on “Focus. Focus. Focus.” ↗…(Animal Guide) - http://www.amazon.com/Hacking-Next-Generation-Animal-Guide/d... 2. Discrete Mathematics for Computer Scientists - http://www.amazon.com/Discrete-Mathematics-Computer-Science-... 3. Imagine: How Creativity Works - http://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Creativity-Works-Jonah-Lehrer/... 4. The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption -http://www.amazon.com/Information-Diet-Case-Conscious-Consum...
on “Ask HN: Summer reading” ↗I'd suggest looking at the book Imagine by Jonah Lehrer. It doesn't refer to coding specifically but he talks about ways to foster focus and inspiration. The author looks in to all ways to get to these states of mind including drugs.
on “Is there evidence that drugs can help programmers produce “better” code?” ↗The Honest Truth About Dishonesty - Dan Ariely. Read all his books and papers, for that matter. Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman I also liked Jonah Lehrer's Imagine, a book about creativity. If you're into programming, I recommend The Joy of Clojure.
on “Ask HN: Summer reading” ↗This is fascinating -- I'm Reading Imagine: How Creativity Works [1] by Jonah Lehrer right now, and it's about the science behind this exact principle. Essentially, Lehrer explores the conditions leading up to and surrounding insights, and investigates…
on “Blinded by the Light – The Epiphany” ↗…one study (I can't recall the link sadly) that measured performance of several programming teams and found strong correlation between women in workforce and team performance. Another study in the book "Imagine" by Lehrer Jonah implies that creativity depends on the Q factor, inside a group. Here is a quote: "Uzzi’s data clearly demonstrates that the best Broadway shows were produced with intermediate levels…
on “Super-star programmers” ↗…how Shakespeare borrowed/stole heavily from other artists of his time.[1] Today he would have been sued for this and you wouldn't have those plays at all perhaps. [1] Last chapter of the recent book "Imagine" by Jonah Lehrer
on “The USPTO Would Like to Partner with the Software Community” ↗…was a quote that first appeared in the famous documentary from the mid-1960s, "Don't Look Back," in which Dylan tells a reporter about his songs that "I just write them. There's no great message." In "Imagine," Lehrer adds a third sentence — "Stop asking me to explain" — that does not appear in the film. According to Tablet, Lehrer also invented quotes on how Dylan wrote "Like a Rolling Stone" and, when confronted…
on “Jonah Lehrer Resigns From The New Yorker After Making Up Quotes” ↗Sidenote: Jonah Lehrer flamed out pretty spectacularly in 2012 after it emerged that he had distorted and fabricated some of the information in his book Imagine.
on “Our Cluttered Minds” ↗Also Jonah Lehrer, author of pop science books Imagine and How We Decide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonah_Lehrer
on “Harvard dishonesty expert accused of dishonesty” ↗There is also a book: http://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Creativity-Works-Jonah-Lehrer/dp/0547386079 Recommended few times in HN, but the video should be here for the first time.
on “How creativity works” ↗…was that Shakespeare was pioneering a new creative method in which every conceivable source informed his art. For Shakespeare, the act of creation was inseparable from the act of connection.” Page 220, Imagine by Jonah Lehrer
on “Court Of Human Rights: Convictions For File-Sharing Violate Human Rights” ↗This is kind of surreal. I have just realised that I have merged the authors Johann Hari and Jonah Lehrer into one person. I had always assumed Johann Hari had made a fortunate recovery from the Imagine/How We decide scandals to write successful books like Lost Connections. I was feeling guilty for besmirching Johann Hari's reputation in my own mind until looking at his wiki page and finding the HE…
on “Harvard dishonesty expert accused of dishonesty” ↗