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rom Stagnation to Inspiration: What are the Surprising Techniques for Breaking Functional Fixation
Inspiration, a familiar word in daily life, actually carries a profound psychological meaning. It is not only the accidental acquisition of new knowledge, but also represents the ability to discern causal relationships in specific situations. According to psychological research, inspiration is usually the ability to suddenly realize a solution to a problem after a period of false attempts. This process is called "Aha-Erlebnis" by German psychologist Karl Buchler, which is the sudden moment of enlightenment. It is the key to breaking the fixed thinking and solving difficult problems.
Insight is the understanding of cause and effect in a specific situation, which can suddenly appear inadvertently.
Psychological inspiration
In psychology, inspiration is the correct solution that suddenly appears when people face problems. This phenomenon was first studied by Gestalt psychology, which sought an alternative understanding of learning. Research shows that inspired solutions are often more accurate than those achieved through traditional trial and error.
Classic method to break the fixed function
In the process of understanding inspiration, an important concept is "functional fixation", which means that people are limited to a certain cognitive framework to view problems. In the experiment, the researchers designed a series of questions to break this functional fixation, including:
1. Burning candle problem
This problem requires participants to solve it using methods they would not normally think of. For example, in the "Candlelight Problem," participants are asked to light a room using a candle and a box of nails. The ultimate solution was to place the candle inside a nail box and nail the box to the wall.
2. Nine questions
This is another famous inspiration problem that requires participants to draw four straight lines through nine points without lifting a pencil. Such tasks require participants to think outside the box of their spatial constraints.
3. Remote association test
This is a test of whether participants can find connections between three seemingly unrelated words in order to find a common theme or solution.
The emergence of inspiration is often accompanied by changes in mood, and a good emotional state helps the generation of inspiration.
The connection between emotion and inspiration
Research shows that emotional state can significantly affect the occurrence of inspiration. Maintaining a good mood can improve problem-solving abilities, whereas an anxious mood can reduce the performance of inspiration. Participants are more likely to find breakthroughs in inspiration when they are in a happy mood.
The impact of rest and sleep
Research points out that proper rest can improve the ability to solve inspired problems. Whether it is a short four-minute break or a twelve-minute break, the effect is similar. In addition, sleep has been shown to be crucial for the generation of ideas, as participants' problem-solving performance improved significantly after a good night's sleep.
The effectiveness of crowd inspiration
Group collaboration also helps generate ideas. Research shows that groups generally perform better when dealing with inspiration problems, and that group performance improves more significantly when presented with helpful or unhelpful prompts.
The reason why group cooperation improves the ability to solve inspired problems may lie in the integration of different ways of thinking and perspectives.
Gender and intelligence differences in inspiration
Gender and intelligence also differ in how people express inspiration. Research shows that men are better at inspired problems, while women are better at traditional problems. Additionally, people with higher intelligence performed better on inspiration questions, whereas people with lower intelligence tended to get greater help from cues.
Final Thoughts
The concept of inspiration not only helps individuals solve problems, but also plays an indispensable role in daily life and work. Being able to break away from fixed thinking patterns and look at problems in different ways will be a key to creating new possibilities. So, are you ready to explore these amazing tips for inspiration in your life?
