ben mole

What is your brain doing when you are doing absolutely nothing? A neuroscientist wanted an answer to that question. So she conducted the first brain-imaging study of brain activity when the brain is in a "resting state"—free of inputs/free to wander. The results are interesting... The neuroscientist Dr. Nancy Andreasen used a positron emission tomography (PET) scan to study brain activity when the brain is at "wakeful rest" When you are doing absolutely nothing: "We found activations in multiple regions of the association cortex," Dr. Andreasen wrote. "We were not [seeing] a passive silent brain during the ‘resting state,’ but rather a brain that was actively connecting thoughts and experiences.” Essentially, Dr. Andreasen demonstrated that the brain defaults to creativity. When you are doing absolutely nothing, the brain engages in what the researchers termed "random episodic silent thought" or REST. And during REST, the brain "uses its most human & complex parts." Takeaway 1: Doing nothing promotes creativity. Raymond Chandler, Neil Gaiman, Dr. Suess, George Lucas, and many other writers all have/had a similar habit. They gave themselves two options: a) You don’t have to write. b) You can’t do anything else. @neilhimself explains: "I go down to my lovely little gazebo at the bottom of the garden, sit down, and I’m absolutely allowed not to do anything...I'm not allowed to do a crossword, read a book, phone a friend...all I’m allowed to do is absolutely nothing, or write. But writing is actually more interesting than doing nothing after a while." Takeaway 2: REST Resting, Dr. Andreasen wrote, “allows the association cortices of the brain to converse in a free & uncensored manner.” This is why ideas come to us in the shower, on walks, and when daydreaming. A favorite example of this: @Lin_Manuel had the idea for “Hamilton” on vacation: "I was on a pool float with a margarita in my hand and had a moment when my brain could unplug. [It was his first vacation in 7 years]. The moment my brain got a moment's rest, the best idea I've ever had in my life walked into it." --- “If a plant only gets sunlight, it’s very harmful. It needs darkness too…In the darkness, it converts oxygen into carbon dioxide. We are like that too. We need periods of doing & periods of non-doing.” — Robert Pirsig Follow me @bpoppenheimer for more content like this!