JONAH LEHRER is a contributing editor at "Wired" and a frequent contributor to "The New Yorker." He writes the Head Case column for the" Wall Street Journal" and regularly appears on WNYC s "Radiolab." His writing has also appeared in "Nature," the" New York Times Magazine," "Scientific American, " and "Outside." The author of two previous books, "Proust Wasa Neuroscientist" and "How We Decide, " he graduated from Columbia University and attended Oxford as a Rhodes scholar."
"Lehrer smoothly and engagingly blends scientific findings with
stories about creative breakthroughs. IMAGINE is just plain fun to
read, and the author s neat prose dishes out valuable
information."
" Science Magazine" "In IMAGINE, author Jonah Lehrer weaves all of
these people, places, and things into a brilliant narrative about
well, simply put brilliance.... IMAGINE, although intricate and
detailed, is a comfortable read, a trip down the rabbit hole of the
human mind's most enthralling success, the tiny spark of
electricity demonstrated on a medical diagnostic machine that can
change the world or just the way you read a book, enjoy a cocktail,
or mop your floor."
" Philadelphia Inquirer" "Fascinating...clear and engaging"
" Financial Times" "Illuminating. . . . An engaging guide to the
mysteries of the imagination and the science of innovation. With
these suggestions, his book implies, you too might be able to
maximize your creative output."
Michiko Kakutani, "New York Times " "Bob Dylan. W.H. Auden. The man
who invented Post-it Notes. The people who work at Pixar. If only
we all were as creative as those writers and innovators. As it
turns out, we are.That s just one of many messages in IMAGINE: How
Creativity Works, Jonah Lehrer s terrific study of humans 'ability
to imagine what never existed.'"
" Houston Chronicle" "Jonah Lehrer who, in my opinion, has done
more for the popular understanding of psychology and neuroscience
than any other writer working today. . . what makes IMAGINE
outstanding is that the book itself is an epitome of an
increasingly important form of creativity the ability to pull
together perspectives, insights, and bits of information into a
mashup narrative framework that illuminates a subject in an
entirely new way."
Atlantic.com "In IMAGINE, journalist Jonah Lehrer lays bare the
magic trick. With the help of elegant experiments, mind-aching
riddles and unlikely characters, he lets us peer inside our heads
and see for ourselves what's going on when our best ideas come to
us....IMAGINE should appeal to everyone, not just because of
Lehrer's compelling writing style but also because it puts paid to
the idea that creativity is a gift enjoyed only by the lucky few.
We can all be more creative, we just need to know how. This book
will show you."
" New Scientist" "Drawing from a wide array of scientific and
sociological research and everything from the poetry of W.H. Auden
to the films of Pixar he makes a convincing case that innovation
cannot only be studied and measured, but also nurtured and
encouraged. . . . This is an inspiring and engaging book that
reveals creativity as less a sign of rare genius than a natural
human potential."
" The Economist" "Not many writers can make plausible links among
musicians Bob Dylan, Yo-Yo Ma and David Byrne, animators at Pixar,
neuroscientists at MIT, an amateur bartender in New York,
entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and Israeli army reservists. Not
many reporters do research about an expert surfer who has Asperger
s, information theorists, industrial psychologists and artists. But
Jonah Lehrer is such a writer-reporter, who weaves compelling and
surprising connections based on detailed investigation and deep
understanding. He says that working memory is an essential tool of
the imagination, and his book is an excellent example of how a
dynamic storehouse of captivating information feeds creative
thinking and writing....IMAGINE doesn t offer a prescription for
how we are to become more imaginative, but it does emphasize some
key ingredients of a creative culture: taking education seriously,
increasing possibilities for human mixing and cultivating a
willingness to take risks. Lehrer practices what he preaches,
showing an appetite for learning, a determined effort to cross
fields and disciplines, and a delight in exploring new
possibilities. Reading his book exercises the imagination; the rest
is up to us."
" Washington Post " "The author of Proust Was a Neuroscientist
argues his case using examples ranging from the songs of Bob Dylan
to the invention of the Swiffer, adding practical tips (the color
blue stimulates imagination; brainstorming meetings don t work) for
better right-brain thinking."
" Details" "IMAGINE argues that modern science allows us to
identify and harness the many different thought processes from
which creativity emerges. The book s strength lies in specific
examples detailed stories about 3M, Pixar, Bob Dylan and Don Lee,
the computer programmer who became a master mixer of quirky
cocktails. These insightful tales make IMAGINE well worth the
read."
" Scientific American " "Who wouldn't love a book that validates
what cubicle workers already know: Brainstorming meetings are a
waste of time."
" USA Today " "Lehrer has initiated an intriguing and important
dialogue on the science of creativity that isn't going to be
finished anytime soon, and he gives his readers a solid foothold on
the connection between neuroscience and creative expression."
" Portland Mercury " "With humor and energy, Lehrer draws
unexpected lessons from organizations that are machines for
creativity: 3M, Second City and Pixar. Telling good stories, moving
gracefully from neurophysiology to sports, from the humanities to
science, from business to poetry, he lets us eavesdrop on the
creative processes of the obscure and the famous. He lets us look
over the shoulders of Yo Yo Ma, Bob Dylan and Ruth Handler (who
came up with Barbie) to see how others transform practice,
frustration, insight and persistence into artistry and industry.
IMAGINE is a wonderfully entertaining and useful book, exhilarating
and instructive in equal parts."
" Cleveland Plain Dealer" "[an] upbeat, far-ranging study of how
ideas emerge from brain impulses to become a work of art or a
marketable new mop. Creativity begets creativity."
" SF Chronicle " "Flummoxed by an intractable problem? You probably
just need to work harder, right? Actually, try taking a walk
instead. Thanks to how we re hardwired, insight tends to strike
suddenly after we ve stopped looking. In this entertaining
Gladwell-esque plunge into the science of creativity, Jonah Lehrer
mingles with a wide cast of characters inventors, educators,
scientists, a Pixar cofounder, an autistic surfing savant to
deconstruct how we accomplish our great feats of imagination.
Notable themes emerge: Failure is necessary. The more people you
casually rub shoulders with on and off the job the more good ideas
you ll have. And societies that unduly restrict citizens ability to
borrow from the ideas of others see our broken patent system do so
at their peril."
" Mother Jones" "Jonah Lehrer s new book confirms what his fans
have known all along that he knows more about science than a lot of
scientists and more about writing than a lot of writers."
Malcolm Gladwell, author of "The Tipping Point" and "Outliers "
"Jonah Lehrer may be the most talented explainer of science that
we've got. His engrossing investigation of creativity and its
sources makes IMAGINE his best book yet."
Joshua Foer, author of "Moonwalking with Einstein" "Lehrer writes
with verve, creating an informative, readable book that sparkles
with ideas."
" Kirkus " "IMAGINE is a great introduction for anyone curious
about the nature and dynamics of creativity."
" Booklist
""
"Illuminating. . . . An engaging guide to the mysteries of the
imagination and the science of innovation. With these suggestions,
his book implies, you too might be able to maximize your creative
output."
--Michiko Kakutani, "New York Times" "Bob Dylan. W.H. Auden. The
man who invented Post-it Notes. The people who work at Pixar. If
only we all were as creative as those writers and innovators. As it
turns out, we are.That's just one of many messages in "IMAGINE: How
Creativity Works," Jonah Lehrer's terrific study of humans'
'ability to imagine what never existed.'"
"--Houston Chronicle" "Jonah Lehrer--who, in my opinion, has done
more for the popular understanding of psychology and neuroscience
than any other writer working today. . . what makes "IMAGINE
"outstanding is that the book itself is an epitome of an
increasingly important form of creativity--the ability to pull
together perspectives, insights, and bits of information into a
mashup narrative framework that illuminates a subject in an
entirely new way."
--Atlantic.com "In "IMAGINE," journalist Jonah Lehrer lays bare the
magic trick. With the help of elegant experiments, mind-aching
riddles and unlikely characters, he lets us peer inside our heads
and see for ourselves what's going on when our best ideas come to
us...."IMAGINE" should appeal to everyone, not just because of
Lehrer's compelling writing style but also because it puts paid to
the idea that creativity is a gift enjoyed only by the lucky few.
We can all be more creative, we just need to know how. This book
will show you."
"--New Scientist""Drawing from a wide array of scientific and
sociological research--and everything from the poetry of W.H. Auden
to the films of Pixar--he makes a convincing case that innovation
cannot only be studied and measured, but also nurtured and
encouraged. . . . This is an inspiring and engaging book that
reveals creativity as less a sign of rare genius than a natural
human potential."
"--The Economi
"Bob Dylan. W.H. Auden. The man who invented Post-it Notes. The
people who work at Pixar. If only we all were as creative as those
writers and innovators. As it turns out, we are.That's just one of
many messages in "IMAGINE: How Creativity Works", Jonah Lehrer's
terrific study of humans' 'ability to imagine what never
existed.'"
"--Houston Chronicle" "Jonah Lehrer--who, in my opinion, has done
more for the popular understanding of psychology and neuroscience
than any other writer working today. . . what makes "IMAGINE
"outstanding is that the book itself is an epitome of an
increasingly important form of creativity--the ability to pull
together perspectives, insights, and bits of information into a
mashup narrative framework that illuminates a subject in an
entirely new way."
--Atlantic.com "In "IMAGINE", journalist Jonah Lehrer lays bare the
magic trick. With the help of elegant experiments, mind-aching
riddles and unlikely characters, he lets us peer inside our heads
and see for ourselves what's going on when our best ideas come to
us...."IMAGINE" should appeal to everyone, not just because of
Lehrer's compelling writing style but also because it puts paid to
the idea that creativity is a gift enjoyed only by the lucky few.
We can all be more creative, we just need to know how. This book
will show you."
"--New Scientist""Drawing from a wide array of scientific and
sociological research--and everything from the poetry of W.H. Auden
to the films of Pixar--he makes a convincing case that innovation
cannot only be studied and measured, but also nurtured and
encouraged. . . . This is an inspiring and engaging book that
reveals creativity as less a sign of rare genius than a natural
human potential."
"--The Economist""Not many writers can make plausible links among
musicians Bob Dylan, Yo-Yo Ma and David Byrne, animators at Pixar,
neuroscientists at MIT, an amateur bartender in New York,
entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and Israeli army reservists.
Not
"Not many writers can make plausible links among musicians Bob
Dylan, Yo-Yo Ma and David Byrne, animators at Pixar,
neuroscientists at MIT, an amateur bartender in New York,
entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and Israeli army reservists. Not
many reporters do research about an expert surfer who has
Asperger's, information theorists, industrial psychologists and
artists. But Jonah Lehrer is such a writer-reporter, who weaves
compelling and surprising connections based on detailed
investigation and deep understanding. He says that working memory
is an essential tool of the imagination, and his book is an
excellent example of how a dynamic storehouse of captivating
information feeds creative thinking and writing...."IMAGINE
"doesn't offer a prescription for how we are to become more
imaginative, but it does emphasize some key ingredients of a
creative culture: taking education seriously, increasing
possibilities for human mixing and cultivating a willingness to
take risks. Lehrer practices what he preaches, showing an appetite
for learning, a determined effort to cross fields and disciplines,
and a delight in exploring new possibilities. Reading his book
exercises the imagination; the rest is up to us."
--"Washington Post" "Bob Dylan. W.H. Auden. The man who invented
Post-it Notes. The people who work at Pixar. If only we all were as
creative as those writers and innovators. As it turns out, we
are.That's just one of many messages in "IMAGINE: How Creativity
Works," Jonah Lehrer's terrific study of humans' "ability to
imagine what never existed."
"--Houston Chronicle" "Jonah Lehrer--who, in my opinion, has done
more for the popular understanding of psychology and neuroscience
than any other writer working today. . . what makes "IMAGINE
"outstanding is that the book itself is an epitome of an
increasingly important form of creativity--the ability to pull
together perspectives, insights, and bits of information into a
mashup narrative framework that illuminates a subj
"Jonah Lehrer may be the most talented explainer of science that
we've got. His engrossing investigation of creativity and its
sources makes "Imagine" his best book yet."
--Joshua Foer, author of "Moonwalking with Einstein" "Jonah
Lehrer's new book confirms what his fans have known all along -
that he knows more about science than a lot of scientists and more
about writing than a lot of writers."
--Malcolm Gladwell, author of "The Tipping Poin""t" and "Outliers"
"Who wouldn't love a book that validates what cubicle workers
already know: Brainstorming meetings are a waste of time."
"--USA Today" "Flummoxed by an intractable problem? You probably
just need to work harder, right? Actually, try taking a walk
instead. Thanks to how we're hardwired, insight tends to strike
suddenly--after we've stopped looking. In this entertaining
Gladwell-esque plunge into the science of creativity, Jonah Lehrer
mingles with a wide cast of characters--inventors, educators,
scientists, a Pixar cofounder, an autistic surfing savant--to
deconstruct how we accomplish our great feats of imagination.
Notable themes emerge: Failure is necessary. The more people you
casually rub shoulders with--on and off the job--the more good
ideas you'll have. And societies that unduly restrict citizens'
ability to borrow from the ideas of others--see our broken patent
system--do so at their peril.""
--Mother Jones""The author of "Proust Was a Neuroscientist" argues
his case using examples ranging from the songs of Bob Dylan to the
invention of the Swiffer, adding practical tips (the color blue
stimulates imagination; brainstorming meetings don't work) for
better right-brain thinking."
"--Details" ""Imagine" argues that modern science allows us to
identify and harness the many different thought processes from
which creativity emerges . . . The book's strength lies in specific
examples--detailed stories about 3M, Pixar, Bob Dylan and Don Lee,
the computer programmer who became a master mixe
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