http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=does-falling-in-love-make
A set of experiments investigates the effects of love and sex on our creative processing. The investigators had people think about love, sex, and something neutral and then attempt to solve both creative and analytical problems. Apparently when one is thinking about being in love, they are more creative and less analytical. Because they tend to think, imagine and wish in the long term, they are open to new ideas and new connections between ideas. When thinking about sex alone, people tend to be in the, ah, moment and think more analytically. Alas, I live in the control group myself, but I look forward to the burst of creativity that will descend upon me when I am in the love group. Hell, the opportunity to be a little more analytical wouldn’t be frowned upon, either.
Actually, I would be curious to know whether other forms of love can lead to the same “global processing” the authors discuss. The authors suggest that love that sparks creativity is concerned about the “wishes and goals of prolonged attachment with a person.” My son is certainly stuck with me whether he likes it or not (luckily, I think he does), and I can’t help but think rather a lot about what I wish for him and goals on how to get there. I also wonder if there’s something about the sense of security of an attachment that permits riskier creative thinking. Another commentor raised the question about whether the inverse of the experiment might be true also – could global or creative thinking produce a sense of love in a person? Couldn’t hurt to try, I would imagine, unless you’re working on your taxes.
you are hilarious.
may creative and analytical activity come your way soon!
Makes perfect sense to me. Imagineering the duplex in NYC and the corresponding life possibilities illustrates the point!
I guess it is a fundamentally risky/creative endeavor to think about shaping existence rather than reacting to it.
Interesting. I was wondering if there was any differentiation in terms of the types of romantic love…isn’t there like 9 different types?
I tend to be simultaneously analytical and creative because that’s just who I am. I think my brain just is a constant state of being in love because I’m mostly in love with the world.
I suspect a number of kinds of love would lead to similar results. Perhaps even loving a pet helps! But I agree, its actually a complex thing, and we are certainly all both analytical and creative.
I love that you’re in love with the world!
Creative thinking COMPLETELY generates a sense of love in a person… it’s why there are art widows. Sometimes creative thinking is even more appealing than actual other humans – that can make it seem dangerous to engage in, bottomless or transcendent.
I love that you have a blog now. we’re all going to get so much smarter reading your thoughts…
Art widows – what a great phrase! I can totally see that. Do you have a blog? ‘Cause its clear I would be a lot smarter if I read YOUR thoughts
Plus I wouldn’t mind seeing some videos of your work.
Something else occurred to me while I sat on my, uh, “thinking throne” yesterday.
While love appears to open the mind to creative possibility, fear does the opposite, which is so much of what can keep people in certain relationships, or just in amendable-but-bad relationship dynamics. The shift from thinking in terms of possibility to primarily being in a strong fear state about losing a relationship can be subtle or sudden, I’ve found.
But perhaps this is a great measure. Perhaps better than asking, “am I in love?” or “should I stay with this person?” or “is this right?”, an important question would be, “do I (mainly) get creative about future possibilities with this person?”
Lord knows I can feel strong, passionate feelings that aren’t about creativity and possibility – i.e., about the future – but tend to be more about here and now.
I think a better question would be, “Does this person inspire me?” When I’ve been in a bad relationship, the answer has always been no…or some half-hearted version. I think a lot of times, we enjoy being around someone and like them so much, but they don’t challenge us and are not good for us because they keep us one way or another. If someone inspires you, there’s a requirement of them allowing you to be the best you that’s possible…giving you space to really develop as the person you need to be. If you can develop that way, and still be with them, that’s the foundation for a true partnership…and something that nourishes everyone involved and has staying power.
For me, I’ve noticed that my lasting relationships started out being incredibly inspirational…supporting me to do more than I thought possible…but ended being things where who I am had to stop in order to support their needs from the relationship.
I think we can combine the directions you are both talking about, to include both individual inspiration and being inspired as a couple. I would ask all these things – Do I get creative about future possibilities with this person? Does being with them make me as an individual excited about my dreams? Do I get them excited about their dreams? Do we both support and challenge each other to reach various dreams?