Concentration and its Paradox

During our childhood, unless you were one of those perfect children, we were often asked to concentrate, whether in class or at home, while studying multiplication tables or memorizing world capitals, especially in academic settings. The attention they required of us was to focus in order to internalize what was being explained and to apply it correctly on our own. In general, this is how we learn, and the more focused we are on a new subject, the greater the chances of internalizing it.

Have you heard that the best way to really learn a subject is by teaching it? This happens because when we explain something to someone, we not only have to remember what we need to know, but we also begin to question the nature of what we are trying to teach and seek the best way to do it. This creates additional circuits around the subject we are teaching. Now, most people would probably say that the ideal in life is to always be focused on what we have in front of us, as someone like that can tackle everything they need to do immediately, unlike those who procrastinate or are seen as lazy, among other adjectives.

But, and it’s a big 'but', distraction has also been found to be important. When our mind is wandering in its corners, it’s not that it's doing nothing, in fact, it’s working even while I write this, or while you read it. On what? It’s not easy to know, maybe impossible, but on something. However, right now, by focusing on this topic, it’s likely not doing much in that subconscious world; it depends on each person’s level of concentration. What does it mean that it’s good to wander? Well, what has been found is that mental wandering is the source of creative ideas; it's where new ideas arise, and not only that, but it also processes everything we learn, strengthening neural pathways around the new language we’re learning or that math formula we saw in class.

People with ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, are an example where they possess more creativity than the average person because they tend to get distracted a lot; their thoughts and associations are broader and help them with creativity. This is perhaps why, nowadays, in the era of artificial intelligence, where logical processes and causal reasoning are highly valued and constantly referred to as superior to things like creativity or art, we might start to see a paradigm shift.

"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift\" - Albert Einstein."

This concept that Einstein referred to is highly interesting, not only because it shows us why highly creative companies initially become, over time, more of the same again and again. It’s not that there’s no creativity, but probably their founders and employees have become slaves to a routine, they’ve believed that it was their rational mind that got them far, and perhaps it was, but they’ve forgotten that it was the creative mind that gave them the goose that laid the golden eggs.

Now, to reach a world where creative thinking is more encouraged, a lot of reforms are needed that likely won’t come during our lifetimes, unless we are the ones making decisions where we work. But the best way to foster creativity is to have free time and environments friendly to the innovation process. Ideas come from associations of thoughts and correlations of events or occurrences. The rational mind is capable of having them, but it is highly limited to the number of elements in the present environment. The creative, ascending mind can and usually takes in everything that has happened at some point. Therefore, truly creative ideas tend to have higher value than those that come from an analysis or a study (think of an R&D department that has lost countless times to a pair of students who dropped out of college working in a garage).

If we want to create innovative ideas, we must start looking for free spaces in our schedule, learn to wander and enjoy life, talk to new people, experience new environments, and, little by little, it’s possible that our mind will come up with truly innovative ideas.