![]() ![]() ![]() The accepted answer is to empty the box, place the candle inside and then tack the box to the wall. They were then given three minutes to work out how to attach the candle to the wall so that the candle burns properly but does not drip wax on the table or the floor – using only the materials provided. Participants were shown a picture containing several objects on a table: a candle, a pack of matches and a box of tacks, all of which were next to a cardboard wall. The second was the so-called “ candle problem”. What links “sore, shoulder, sweat”, for example? The answer is cold – and if you get it right, you’ve been able to spot the hidden connections between diverse ideas, which is considered essential for many forms of creative thinking. The first was the “ remote association test”, which requires participants to find a common word that links three different alternatives. ![]() She then gave them two of psychology’s standard tests of creativity. This, the participants were told, could be as banal as the idea that “sitting can be more tiring that walking” they simply had to list any thoughts that were “seemingly contradictory but nonetheless possibly true”. In one of the early studies, Ella Miron-Spektor, associate professor of organisational behaviour at INSEAD, and her research collaborators asked participants to write down three paradoxical statements. Most of us do not have Einstein or O’Neill’s genius, of course, but a series of studies have shown that “paradoxical cognition” can also help more average thinkers to solve everyday problems, and organisations to enhance their performance. Rothenberg points out that the drama of The Iceman Cometh grew from the character Hickey’s contradictory desires for his wife to be both faithful and unfaithful to him – at the same time. This train of thought ultimately inspired a startling new understanding of quantum mechanics.īesides these scientists, Rothenberg has examined the biographies of many award-winning writers, showing that their creativity is also often sparked by the contemplation of irreconcilable ideas. Danish physicist Niels Bohrtried to reconcile the ways that energy acted like both waves and particles: states that existed simultaneously, even though they could not be observed together. Interviewing 22 Nobel laureates, and analysing historical accounts of deceased world-changing scientists, he noted that each revolutionary thinker had spent considerable time “actively conceiving multiple opposites or antitheses simultaneously”.Įinstein, for instance, contemplated how an object could be both at rest and moving depending on the position of the observer, a consideration that ultimately led to his relativity theory. Harvard University psychiatrist Albert Rothenberg was among the first to investigate the idea formally, with a study in 1996 of acclaimed geniuses. The researchers call this a “paradox mindset” – and there never be a better time to start cultivating it.Īlthough this concept may sound counter-intuitive, it is inspired by a long history of research showing that contemplation of apparent contradictions can break down our assumptions, offering us wholly new ways of looking at the problem. The dual constraints actually enhance their performance. Over a series of studies, psychologists and organisational scientists have found that people who learn to embrace, rather than reject, opposing demands show greater creativity, flexibility and productivity. And yet some exciting and highly counter-intuitive research suggests that these conflicts can often work in our favour. A teacher has to impose toughdiscipline for the good of the class – being “cruel to be kind”.īeing dragged in two different directions, simultaneously, should only create tension and stress. Doctors and nurses need to provide highest quality healthcare at the lowest cost musicians want to maintain their artistic integrity while also making a sack full of cash. Working life often involves the push and pull of various contradictory demands. Read our full list of the year’s top stories here. As we head into 2021, Worklife is running our best, most insightful and most essential stories from 2020. ![]()
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