One of the most impressive experiences for anyone who dedicates part of their time to solving problems, whether on a personal or professional level, is that of the insight, also called the “eureka moment” , because it is the expression used by Archimedes when he discovered his famous principle.

This psychological phenomenon occurs when we suddenly and unexpectedly find the long sought-after solution to a challenge . It usually happens at a time when we are not working on that search, or at least not consciously. Its appearance is usually accompanied by intense mental activation, and even euphoria, as well as a pleasant and relaxing physical sensation. In addition, the solutions found are usually of high quality, which further reinforces the sensations already described.

However, this much-desired phenomenon cannot be generated at will, something that would otherwise be very useful on a day-to-day basis. Insights arise or do not arise, and you never know when, or even if, they will eventually arise. On the other hand, we can block it voluntarily; it is enough to look for it in an active way so that it never comes to happen.
So how can we use it to solve our challenges?

The Paradox of Cognitive Blockade

The paradox in the functioning of insight, the fact that trying to reach it directly leads us to be cognitively blocked, has a lot to do with how our brain processes information . Basically, and to use a simple analogy, it is like a computer; we can use it in a linear way, that is, using one application at a time and then another, or we can open many applications simultaneously and have them all work simultaneously.

If we talk about the brain, we can use it to think logically about a matter that in turn leads us to another related idea and so on, until we find the solution to the problem we are trying to solve, or we can use it in parallel, where all the problems we are trying to solve are addressed at once, and combinations are explored that, a priori, would not make any sense .

Just as in a computer, if you open a very complex and resource-consuming application, the resources available for other applications are reduced; the system slows down, and sometimes even crashes. But if we work with many lightweight applications, they can all work in parallel to achieve their own goals.

Logical and conscious thinking consumes many resources , which implies that the rest of the processes are left without them. On the other hand, if we release all those resources consumed by logic and consciousness, these remain available for the rest of the mental processes and, curiously enough, all of them start working in parallel.

How to encourage the emergence of insight?

When we are children, we all come from the factory with the capacity to work innate in the parallel mode (those blank moments with our eyes lost beyond the blackboard) but, in its attempt to develop our capacity for concentration and linear thinking, the educational process tends to reinforce the latter to the detriment of the parallel mode , which is frowned upon (being inopia), thus generating habits that we are no longer capable of deactivating.

In this way, most of the time our brain works in a linear way, using a large amount of resources and limiting the options and possibilities we should explore to find original solutions to the challenges we face.

That said, the key to empowering insights and maximizing the chances of them happening is to re-learn how to re-enter that “forgotten” parallel mode of thinking .

To help us in this task, techniques such as contemplation (commonly “staying breaded”) or meditation are very useful tools, because they help us to re-educate the way in which we shift the focus of our conscious attention and how we open or close the amplitude of that focus more effectively.

However, as with all biological processes, the continued practice of these techniques gradually enhances their effectiveness, eventually allowing us to voluntarily modulate the time and depth at which we enter into this form of parallel processing.

Behind this simple explanation, however, there are a large number of neural mechanisms that are currently being investigated very intensively in research centres around the world. Knowing them is an exciting process that also brings many benefits in both the personal and professional fields.

Bibliographic references:

  • Hill, G.; Kemp, S. M. (2016). Uh-Oh! What Have We Missed? A Qualitative Investigation into Everyday Insight Experience. The Journal of Creative Behavior. 52 (3): 201 – 211.