Imagine

Resumen del libro

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 cafe, 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.

Biografía del autor

Jonah Lehrer se graduó en la Universidad de Columbia. Es editor especial de la revista Seed. Ha trabajado en el laboratorio del neurocientífico Eric Kandel, Premio Nobel de medicina y ha sido becario Rhodes. También ha ejercido como crítico literario y musical y cocinero. Escribe para los medios más importantes de EEUU: The New York Times, New Yorker, el Washington Post, Boston Globe, Wired, McSweeneyx{0026} x02019;s, Nature, Outside, London Times, Los Angeles Times y Washington Times. Es uno de los colaboradores más destacados de Wired, la revista de tendencias tecnológicas por excelencia. Es editor colaborador del Radio Lab (National Public Radio) y cuenta con un blog propio, The Frontal Cortex, que goza de un gran número de lectores.