Idea Powers No. 1 of 28
They call it: Too many ideas We call it
Also known as divergent thinking.
The short version Your brain makes ideas in a flood, and some of the strange ones are ideas nobody else had.
Collected. 0 of 28.
Your brain makes ideas faster than it throws them out. One thought arrives and pulls three more behind it, odd ones included. Researchers call this divergent thinking: lots of answers to one question.
In one study, 90 college students were asked for unusual uses of everyday objects. The 45 with ADHD thought of more of them, and did worse on a test with only one right answer.Source 1
A review of 31 studies found the effect is clearer in people with many ADHD traits than in people with a diagnosis, and that lab results shift with motivation.Source 2 In a survey of 206 adults with ADHD, “creative” was the most named strength of all.Source 3 Not everyone with ADHD is an idea fountain. If you are one, it’s worth knowing.
Early evidence
One small student study, a review of 31 studies and a survey. Lab results are mixed, and clearer for ADHD traits than for a diagnosis.
Twenty ideas is not twenty finished things. The one you love at 9pm can be gone by morning if you do not write it down.
Keep a phone note called Ideas and dump every idea into it today, even the bad ones.
Your brain is a fountain. Turn it on and ideas come out fast, splashy and everywhere. Some are silly. A few are gold.
Musician and founder of the Black Eyed Peas
One thing I learned about ADHD is that it’s hard to keep your attention, and you can’t sit still and you’re always moving and thinking about a whole bunch of things. But those traits work well for me in studios and in meetings about creative ideas.
Said in: will.i.am on Understood
will.i.am is a musician and producer who founded the Black Eyed Peas. He has also said music keeps his attention in order.