Imagine: How Creativity Works

The profound mysteries of creative thought have long intimidated the world's finest brains. How do you measure the imagination? How do you quantify an epiphany? These daunting questions led researchers to neglect the subject for hundreds of years. In Jonah Lehrer's ambitious and enthralling new book, we go in search of the epiphany. Shattering the myth of creative 'types', Lehrer shows how new research is deepening our understanding of the human imagination. Creativity is not a 'gift' that only some possess. It's a term for a variety of distinct thought processes that we can all learn to use more effectively. Some acts of imagination are best done sipping espresso in a crowded café, while others require long walks in a quiet park. Lehrer helps us fit our creative strategies to the task at hand. The journey begins with the fluttering of neurons in the prefrontal cortex, before moving out to consider how this new science can also make neighbourhoods more vibrant, companies more productive and schools more effective. We'll learn about Bob Dylan's writing habits and the drug addiction of poets. We'll see why Elizabethan England experienced a creative explosion, and how Pixar designed its office space to get the most out of its talent. Collapsing the layers separating the neuron from the finished symphony, Imagine reveals the deep inventiveness of the human mind and its essential role in our increasingly complex world.

About the Author :
Jonah Lehrer is editor at large for Seed magazine and the author of The Decisive Moment: How the Brain Makes Up Its Mind. A graduate of Columbia University and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, Lehrer has worked in the lab of Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist Eric Kandel. He has written for the New Yorker, Boston Globe, Washington Post, NPR and New Scientist, and writes a highly regarded blog, The Frontal Cortex.

Review :
* Imagine should appeal to everyone, not just because of Lehrer's compelling writing style but also because it puts paid to the idea that creativity is a gift enjoyed only by the lucky few. We can all be more creative, we just need to know how. This book will show you New Scientist * This is an inspiring and engaging book that reveals creativity as less a sign of rare genius than a natural human potential Economist * Jonah Lehrer's new book confirms what his fans have known all along - that he knows more about science than a lot of scientists and more about writing than a lot of writers' -- Malcolm Gladwell, Author Of The Tipping Point * Jonah Lehrer may be the most talented explainer of science that we've got. His engrossing investigation of creativity and its source makes Imagine his best book yet -- Joshua Foer, Author Of Moonwalking With Einstein * Not many writers can make plausible links among musicians Bob Dylan, Yo-Yo Ma and David Byrne, animators at Pixar, neuroscientists at MIT, an amateur bartender in New York, entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and Israeli army reservists ... But Jonah Lehrer is such a writer-reporter, who weaves compelling and surprising connections based on detailed investigation and deep understanding ... Reading his book exercises the imagination; the rest is up to us Washington Post * Lehrer is a thrilling multifaceted narrator...what Lehrer achieves in this book is a roaming yet cohesive description of the creative process, applied across disciplines Observer * An ecumenical hodgepodge of sociology, neuroscience and motivational examples that should be read by anyone with an interest in how human creativity works -- Kevin Power Sunday Business Post * Lehrer unpicks the triggers that bring about bouts of creativity, be it Bob Dylan's writing or an engineer inventing the Post-it note. It could improve your chances of coming up with an idea of your own Esquire Magazine * The must-read book of the year for chief executives and wannabe entrepreneurs everywhere, a modern business bible for the enlightened boss -- Murad Ahmed The Times * This compelling discussion of the creative process speaks to our scientific age -- Stephen Cave Financial Times * Imagine: how creativity works moves engagingly between cutting-edge neuroscience and cultural sociology. It offers a double-sided portrait of invention and discovery -- Boyd Tonkin Independent * If all science books were as successful in bridging the divide between art and science as this one is, there would no longer be a divide to bridge -- Ian Critchley Sunday Times * [A] fascinating study of the mind Word Magazine * A snappy, sassy tour d'horizon of the state of the science of creativity New Statesman * Lehrer pulls together a startling array of research and creative practise that challenges much of our current teaching methods, school organisation and even national educational policy Times Education Supplement