Monday, 16 January 2012

Danger and Creativity

Mueller et al demonstrate in a couple of experiments that
People often reject creative ideas, even when espousing creativity as a desired goal.
This makes sense.  According to Read Montague, brain scans of our reactions to familiar things have the same signal as when we react to actually good things. In a risky environment this seems powerfully adaptive to me. On the other hand, a capacity take unnecessary risks indicates a biological surplus so should be a plus in the sexual selection stakes provided it doesn't happen to kill you.

For example, this lad is demonstrating a biological surplus.  Of course, he may not describe it like that.  

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