How Mobile Devices Kill Your Creativity 126
FuzzNugget writes "ReadWrite has posted a thought-provoking piece on how mobile devices killing our boredom may also be killing our creativity. Quoting: 'Numerous studies and much accepted wisdom suggest that time spent doing nothing, being bored, is beneficial for sparking and sustaining creativity. With our iPhone in hand — or any smartphone, really — our minds, always engaged, always fixed on that tiny screen, may simply never get bored. And our creativity suffers. ... For example, psychology professor Gary Marcus distinguishes between the two primary types of pursuits we use to defeat boredom. "Boredom is the brain's way to tell you you should be doing something else. But the brain doesn't always know the most appropriate thing to do. If you're bored and use that energy to play guitar and cook, it will make you happy. But if you watch TV, it may make you happy in the short term, but not in the long term." So much of what we do on our smartphones, however, is decidedly short-term: a few moments playing a game while we stand in line, a minute to scan Instagram as the person in front of us at the grocery store pulls out their checkbook. ' Of course, you'll probably be reading this on a smartphone."
And this is why /. doesn't get art (Score:1)
QED
How is boredom defined? (Score:4, Interesting)
It's perfectly possible to be "bored" while using an iPhone or iPad or whatever smart device you prefer.
I think point missed by this type of research is assuming that everyone is actively engaged by the device when idly surfing Facebook or Slashdot. In this situation the user may simply be waiting for inspiration to strike (when that happens is unpredictable, otherwise we'd milk it for all it's worth).
Obviously this doesn't apply to everyone in every situation, but to suggest that having access to smart phones is killing creativity is a bit of a stretch.
Peace,
Andy.
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Is inspiration more or less likely to strike if your mind is occupied? I wonder as I Tao this out on myphone while waiting for my lunch to be served.
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Is inspiration more or less likely to strike if your mind is occupied?
The creative people I speak to (musicians, mostly) say that going for a walk outside is the best source of inspiration, closely followed by listening to songs by other people and I tend to agree with this.
If cooped up indoors, disengaging the mind is helpful but it takes some practice. Meditation works really well, but it can also be done by playing a simple game on a handheld device or mindlessly scrolling through the Facebook timeline.
Peace,
Andy.
Re:How is boredom defined? (Score:5, Insightful)
Is inspiration more or less likely to strike if your mind is occupied?
The creative people I speak to (musicians, mostly) say that going for a walk outside is the best source of inspiration, closely followed by listening to songs by other people and I tend to agree with this.
If cooped up indoors, disengaging the mind is helpful but it takes some practice. Meditation works really well, but it can also be done by playing a simple game on a handheld device or mindlessly scrolling through the Facebook timeline.
Peace,
Andy.
I've not sure you understand what the creative people are trying to say. Inspiration is not some Greek God blessing bestowed randomly on creative people because they are walking in the sun. Every good "inspiration" is the result of hundreds of hours of thinking about something from lots of angles and exploring the various ramifications of the ideas you are generating. You can get this from lots of walks outside with your mind free to play with ideas, you don't get it from playing simple games that occupy your brain.
Talk to a musician or scientist: every "inspiration" is the end result of lots of precursor work. As the pieces start falling into place in your mind, you know you are going to get that breakthrough in a week, or a day, or a minute. It becomes so obvious you hardly need to think about it: "it's so beautiful it must be true" is common to music and physics and math.
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Talk to a musician or scientist: every "inspiration" is the end result of lots of precursor work
I never said anything about not requiring previous effort - someone who has never played an instrument or studied music is hardly going to be inspired to write a song, are they?
The main point is that disengaging the mind from the task for which inspiration is sought (be it a tricky development problem or writing a new song) will help, and that it's not necessarily a requirement to be away from all electronic devices. For example, you maybe using your smartphone or iPad or whatever to read a technical manua
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You've missed the point. The point is your mind is engaged all the time. You may be bored with your phone but you are still engaged, you aren't daydreaming. So I'm not sure if creativity is being killed completely but it sure isn't being boosted.
no, not really. (Score:2, Insightful)
I'm not the creative type. So, when I'm bored I read or go lounge by the pool. I doubt anyone, no matter how intelligent, will find the cure for cancer, or the solution to Europe's economic crisis by being bored.
Sure, some people will knit, others will do woodwork, but that's about it. Then again, time you enjoy wasting isn't time wasted.
I'd much rather see people kill time with a smartphone than go get high/drunk, etc.
And I'm typing this on a Nexus 10, you insensitive clod.
Spending the time making something (Score:3)
Sure, some people will knit, others will do woodwork, but that's about it. Then again, time you enjoy wasting isn't time wasted.
But at least with knitting, woodwork, or the like, you have something to show for your time wasting afterward.
Re:Spending the time making something (Score:5, Interesting)
Hanging out with friends doesn't leave you with anything to show for the time spent, but I doubt you'd find many people who would opt for knitting a scarf or building a shelf instead.
Not everything valuable can be held up and shown; not everything that can be held up and shown is valuable.
So true (Score:5, Interesting)
Some of the time I most value is time spent with my family, particularly my parents since they are aging and it isn't something I'm going to be able to do forever. I have nothing to show for it, I take home with me nothing but memories, and yet I value those memories highly.
I'll never understand the attitude I see online sometimes where people value only actually creating something, or accomplishing something. That as though if you aren't spending your time building something, fixing something, creating something, etc you are just useless.
On the contrary, I find that much of my time spent with non-tangible results to be of value. Even simple personal things. If I spend a weekend lazing around, playing video games, petting my kitty, sleeping in, and so on I have nothing to show for it. However I enjoy it, and I feel relaxed and happy, so how can you call that worthless?
It seems to me to be a rather empty existence if you define your worth by nothing but what you make. I'm not saying don't take pride in things you create, I know I do (well, when they are good at least) but if your definition of self is only in what you make, then what does that really say? What is the point? If personal happiness and enjoyment don't matter, then why bother? If they do matter, then why define them so narrowly to only include the tangible?
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I think this is the most insightful post I've read to date. Thanks.
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It seems to me to be a rather empty existence if you define your worth by nothing but what you make [...] if your definition of self is only in what you make, then what does that really say? What is the point?
You get a measure of immortality. (If you're good enough at whatever it is you do, and enough people know about it or buy it.)
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Re:Spending the time making something (Score:4, Insightful)
Hanging out with friends doesn't leave you with anything to show for the time spent
That phrase is not normally used so literally. Healthy, satisfying relationships ARE something you can show for your effort.
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The person I responded to was using the phrase in the literal sense. Knitting and woodworking leave you with something physical that you can show as a result of your effort. You can't show a good relationship the same way. It's not a material object that you can hold up for others to see.
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Not all that glitters is gold.
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True. Sometimes it's a drag queen who overdid the glitter.
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But ... but I got this sword out of the dungeon of doom. Ain't that something to show for my time wasted?
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In my experience, there is no such thing as a person that's "not the creative type". Instead, we have people who have learned to be creative, and those who still haven't learned this.
Creativity can be defined as nothing more than putting two ideas together in a way you've never thought of before. It's not some mystical attribute reserved to badly dressed, long-haired, pot smokers. There is no requirement to solve Einstein-level problems to be creative. If you're open minded about this, and practice appr
Create something using a device while commuting (Score:3, Insightful)
If you're bored and use that energy to play guitar and cook, it will make you happy. But if you watch TV, it may make you happy in the short term, but not in the long term.
One difference is that I can actually create something using a laptop or mobile device while away from home. For example, I have a 10" laptop on which I code Python programs as a hobby while riding a bus to and from work. I can't very well play the guitar or cook in such a situation.
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If you're bored and use that energy to play guitar and cook, it will make you happy. But if you watch TV, it may make you happy in the short term, but not in the long term.
One difference is that I can actually create something using a laptop or mobile device while away from home. For example, I have a 10" laptop on which I code Python programs as a hobby while riding a bus to and from work. I can't very well play the guitar or cook in such a situation.
You're just not being creative enough! A hibachi would easily fit on the bus....
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a laptop is fine, you can code python on it. But coding python on a tablet is no fun.
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a laptop is fine, you can code python on it. But coding python on a tablet is no fun.
So what should I do once my current laptop fails? Manufacturers don't make 10" laptops anymore [slashdot.org] because tablets have a higher profit margin.
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If you're bored and use that energy to play guitar and cook, it will make you happy. But if you watch TV, it may make you happy in the short term, but not in the long term.
One difference is that I can actually create something using a laptop or mobile device while away from home. For example, I have a 10" laptop on which I code Python programs as a hobby while riding a bus to and from work. I can't very well play the guitar or cook in such a situation.
But then you are actually using your 10" laptop for something other than what the study is talking about. Unless, you code Python only when you are bored, that is.
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Was this post designed to inspire creativity? (Score:5, Funny)
I think maybe it was - I know I got bored about 1/3 way through the summary.
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I think maybe it was - I know I got bored about 1/3 way through the summary.
you reached 1/3 ? - i read just what was on the first screen of my mobile phone.
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That's obviously why my post got modded up so much - I was so inspired, the post was chock full o' creativity!
If you'd only read further, you could have shared the bounty.
All the time I waste.... (Score:1)
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Angry birds or iTunesU (Score:5, Interesting)
So I would not say that Mobile devices are inherently bad but that many people use them to peruse the junk food isle. I go to the grocery store an my cart is devoid of palm oil or HFCS. Often I see other people's carts full of products containing both. We are shopping in the same store.
Re:Angry birds or iTunesU (Score:4)
I don't think you are the typical user the article was refering to. Just like you are not the typical consumer at your local grocery store.
it is not all about I (Score:1)
>"With our iPhone in hand â" or any smartphone, really "
Oh really? Thanks for the concession! So there is nothing super magical about the iPhone then??? Just... wow!
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>"With our iPhone in hand â" or any smartphone, really "
Oh really? Thanks for the concession! So there is nothing super magical about the iPhone then??? Just... wow!
There is totally a difference! iPhone users worry that they are losing their creativity.
Play guitar and cook? (Score:3, Funny)
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Well, you never know, you might create just THE next big thing in music with the sound they produce.
After I heard some Dubstep, I don't doubt that in the slightest anymore.
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Is it someone creative saying this? (Score:2, Interesting)
Creativity depends in what medium you're working. If you're bored zoning out on the PC reading /., you may get an insight into how to change the design layout of your pet project while doing that. Doing things online doesn't spell a death to all boredom, far from it. There's also a limit how interesting on-line life can be, and the masses are quickly approaching that point as we speak.
My favourite is watching a movie alone while working on a project. Suddenly getting sparks of ideas and then seeing them unf
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I can do stuff such as saw metal, engrave glass, grind and polish gemstones; all while watching and listening to a movie.
I can generally get the plot line of a movie while listening; I don't have to keep my eyes glued to the screen all the time.
The one thing that I have yet to master (and give me time) is to sing and dance with Julie Andrews in the Sou
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I also watch movies and listen to music while working on stuff. I have my workbench next to my computer with DVD drive. I put on a movie and then go at it.
I can do stuff such as saw metal, engrave glass, grind and polish gemstones; all while watching and listening to a movie.
Er, you have a box with rotating devices (fans, DVD drive) sitting close to tools whose purpose is to modify objects made of hard stone and metal by lopping off them????
Come to think of it, you saw metal next to an appliance where exposed conductors are all over the place inside?????
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So? Gravity's pretty good about keeping metal dust from flying around the room. And the grounded metal enclosure is pretty good about dissipating any static charge on such conductive dust.
?????, etc.
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So? Gravity's pretty good about keeping metal dust from flying around the room. And the grounded metal enclosure is pretty good about dissipating any static charge on such conductive dust.
?????, etc.
One of the things that distinguishes actual metal dust from mere filings is the size/mass ratio of the particles. Dust is light enough to float in the air, at least briefly.
In the mean time, you have fans sucking air into the PC case which is chock full of little metal runways spaced very close together. Almost the size of a dust particle in some cases. So the race is between gravity and the fans.
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Hmm... I'm not so sure about that. I'm not convinced. If those ideas were so great, there would be no way to be sceptic about them, would there?
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If those ideas were so great, there would be no way to be sceptic about them, would there?
That's not how it works. There is always a way to talk yourself out of an idea, good or not.
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The most important thing is not to write down your idea, it is to IMPLEMENT IT THERE AND THEN. (Writing it down may catalog your idea for future reference, but implementing it right away provides even more insight and later discoveries while doing so). Today's technology makes prototyping even more simpler and accessible, so is bettering the chances even more of CATCHING THE IDEA.
I have often come up with melodies, chorus lines and the like on the way to work. With a smartphone or other pocket recording device I can whistle or sing them in the car-park or any other convenient point, and work them into something useful when I get home. I've had a couple of really good lines come that way - the first one of which I didn't have a recorder with me and lost it. I was able to remember parts of it a few days later but I never managed to get it as perfect as it had been. Two others woul
I use slashdot to kill time while my welding cools (Score:2)
I am creative. I create artistic clothing and jewelry.
I also use slashdot.
Right now, I am welding together a necklace. I am on slashdot now because I have to let the welds cool down so that I can move the work and then weld another section. If I don't wait for the weld to cool down, I will burn my finger off. And that means 'ouch' and a trip to the emergency room.
So, I use slashdot to kill time until my weld cools off and I can move the work for my next weld.
Well, I guess it's cooled off enough n
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Folks:
[......] I am on slashdot now because I have to let the welds cool down so that I can move the work and then weld another section. If I don't wait for the weld to cool down, I will burn my finger off. [......]
That sounds like a feeble excuse! Have you ever thought of using tongs?
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Folks:
[......] I am on slashdot now because I have to let the welds cool down so that I can move the work and then weld another section. If I don't wait for the weld to cool down, I will burn my finger off. [......]
That sounds like a feeble excuse! Have you ever thought of using tongs?
Don't be silly. When I use tongs to type, half the words come out misspelled.
From the BBC (Score:1)
Is this the source of this story? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21895704 [bbc.co.uk]
And also the type of device used kills creativity (Score:2)
Devices like tablets are in direct competition with notebooks and in some situations even PCs.
Now lets assume the typical slashdot poster, who is a hobby programmer.
If he's sitting at his pc, and surfs on the web, he may interrupt it to do some coding. maybe he's annoyed by something on a website and writes a userscript to change it, or he just gets an idea for a cool script and can instantly switch to a terminal and write it.
If he's surfing on his mobile device, he does not have a keyboard, and not even a
Obligatory XKCD (Score:5, Insightful)
Addiction [xkcd.com]
Obligatory Chris Mercogliano (Score:3)
http://books.google.com/books/about/In_Defense_of_Childhood.html?id=hO9dPgAACAAJ [google.com]
"The pressures of modern life are increasingly squeezing the adventure, the wonder, the physicality -- the juice -- out of children's lives. Virtually every arena of kids' experience is now subject to some form of outside control, and this is a serious threat to the unique spark that animates every child. Lamenting risk-averse parents, overstructured school days, and a lack of playtime and solitude, this book is a clear and comp
Books (Score:3, Informative)
This is clearly nonsense. If it wasn't then the most successful authors would be the ones that never read books - and i'm certain that's not true.
I spent the last two and a half years driving insanely big trucks in a mine, which is mindlessly boring almost all the time. It certainly didn't make me any more creative, in fact it numbed my brain to the point where there was no more creativity left in me. Now i'm at university full time, my creativity's starting to recover. Stimulation, not boredom, is what fuels creativity.
Of the "studies" claimed by the article, one was carried out by a university and seems to have been fairly dubious - although there are no citations either in the article or in the article it refers to - and another was carried out by a mobile phone company and is nothing to do with boredom.That's it. The article linked to from the original article mentions "studies", but doesn't give any clues about what they are. So, as far as i can tell, the "studies" are a fantasy.
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I doubt age is a factor as such - although familiarity and comfortableness with technology might play a part in it. (I'm 54 and i've been working with computers on and off for over 30 years, so i'm not sure where that puts me!) But i think it helps to have something to distract your conscious mind while your unconscious churns away creatively.
I think procrastination is an essential part of the sort of creativity that has a deadline, for instance - so long as it doesn't get out of hand! In particular, i'm ta
checkbook.. (Score:1)
How quaint...
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I wrote my first cheque ever sometime in the mid 1970s, aged in my teens. I haven't written a cheque for nearly 30 years.
Funnily enough... (Score:2)
not bored? (Score:2)
Trust me, mobile devices do not eliminate boredom.
Plus, the notion that creativity requires boredom misses the mark. Creativity requires idleness, not boredom. Just because you are surrounded by a vast choice of devices and media does not mean you can't take a few minutes to sit quietly and/or meditate.
Try this experiment: Start taking 10 minutes every day to sit quietly. Put your feet flat on the ground, rest your hands in your lap, sit up nice and straight (but comfortably) and just breathe. Count y
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Meditation. It sure beats sitting 'round doing nothing.
(sorry, I just couldn't resist)
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Nah, I don't think you need all that hassle.
The beauty of meditation is that it requires no equipment, no special clothing. Just a few minutes time and what you were born with. You can get to the same place an immersion tank will take you and you don't need an expensive tank or towel. And your fingers and piggies won't get all wrinkled.
Feels right (Score:1)
Like all generalisations, people will find exceptions. However, for me, I can see it. I program. A lot of it is innovative (ie: not currently done) UI design, along with backing algorithms and data systems. I'm finding my most productive *creative* time to be during my daily 10k runs or when I'm walking the dog. That being said, I also spend a lot of time gathering data (reading, web surfing, chatting with people) that provides the raw material for those creative moments.
I suspect there is a balance, a
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I agree, long walks and cycling are where I do most of my creative thinking. The activity requires little mental effort and gives me time to let my mind wander. Running is different - I only took it up recently, and I'm still at the point where all of my mental effort has to go into breathing and keeping going (and 5K is my current limit). Even that is great, though, as it's the only time I'm completely switched off from other thoughts other than when I'm asleep, so I think it helps to clear my mind.
Creative people don't work in a vacuum. (Score:2)
I work in a creative field (animation and film) and for me the smart phone inspires tons of creativity. Look at all of the amazing apps and games that creative people are doing in this new medium that wouldn't have happened if the developers weren't addicted to their smart phones.
People sitting alone in their living room and being bored doesn't inspire creativity. Creativity is inspired when people surround themselves with other creative ideas and people, and with smart phones, creative ideas and people are
subject (Score:2)
Dude writes a blog post about a study that was covered on Slashdot already, gets blog post posted to Slashdot. Story still as boring as it was the first time.
Plausible (Score:2)
That is why I have not had a smart-phone so far (but I always carry pen&paper to note down ideas). As I cannot avid the smart-phone anymore, I have selected the minimal data-plan for calendar and email and slow (no fun) web-surfing only, so hopefully it remains a tool to be used only when necessary. Of course the mobile providers want you to game and surf as much as possible so they can make as much profit off you as possible.
Shallow attention span (Score:5, Insightful)
Attention span is the ability to concentrate on a subject for an extended period of time. If you are only able to concentrate when there is continuous external stimulation, it's shallow concentration. This is the difference between reading a book and playing a first person shooter video game. In the video game you are continually reacting. Reading requires mentally retaining the subject matter as you read, and relating what you are reading now to previous material. One is externally organized, the other is internally organized.
Obviously, it's possible to read an ebook on a smart phone, so the device itself is not intrinsically in one mode or the other. This is why so many of the previous posts point to creative activity enabled by electronics.
Having the ability to maintain internal concentration is a learned skill. The problem with pervasive electronics is that chronic users substitute external stimulation for internal concentration. They don't know how to concentrate on their own.
This is ultimately a deficit. It's why people do really stupid things like texting while driving. There are some activities that demand a high degree of internal concentration, like doing mathematics, coding, or surgery. I guarantee that you don't want someone cutting you open who suddenly starts texting about the procedure, or a judge who is not paying attention to the trail proceeding because they are playing a game with the cellphone in their lap.
Shower (Score:2)
I know I'm an edge case... (Score:1)
My mobile devices have actually contributed to my creativity. I'm a writer, and I've come to depend on my mobile devices quite a lot to, well, write. From my first palm Zire to my current Motorola Flipout, I've depended on my mobile devices to write and edit my various stories. The internet connected devices have also been tremendously handy to do quick research on the various subjects relevant to my writing. In each of the boredom cases listed in the article, I'm much more likely to be continuing whatever
Boredom will never die. (Score:2)
dupe? (Score:1)
Playing games on your mobile is not all that bad (Score:1)
Painfully Obvious (Score:1)
Its painfully obvious at the grocery store. I've lost count how many spouses (mostly husbands) are shopping for something get on their phone to ask the other spouse what boxed item, can of sauce, vegetable, or other ingredient to get, down to the last variation of the product.
If the husband had any creativity he'd think of something on this own. Or as in days of yore, presence of forethought to have written it down on paper beforehand.
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Pointless. (Score:2)
"Mobile devices" is an annoyingly broad term. I made my daughter's birthday cake yesterday with the aid of a smart phone sporting a recipe and videos on some techniques (like making lemon curd). Not everyone with a mobile device spends a majority of their time on social networks. The fact that I have information with me everywhere I go in a convenient form factor is just plain awesome.
When I'm bored I work to solve it, not numb it. A smart phone is a very useful tool in that endeavor. The people who drool t
What's a smartphone? (Score:2)
By now you are thinking, here's an old luddite, an idiot, aren't you? But I like to sit on a London bus and stare into people's gardens or read a book on the tube [that's the subway or MRT to most of you] rather than scrunch up my
IMO... (Score:2)
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Re:"TV [...] it may make you happy in the short te (Score:4, Insightful)
Don't be so ridiculously literal ... replace cooking or guitar with whatever floats your boat.
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The point is that just about any hobby you have will only make you happy in the short-term
What? The examples given provide lasting value. Things like watching TV and playing games are generally more limited in scope.
You're flipping things around. Most any hobby will provide happiness on the short term, but not all will provide happiness in the long term. The idea here is that the ones that provide both short and long term happiness are better than the ones that merely provide for the short term.
Re:"TV [...] it may make you happy in the short te (Score:5, Insightful)
The point is that just about any hobby you have will only make you happy in the short-term
What? The examples given provide lasting value. Things like watching TV and playing games are generally more limited in scope.
You're flipping things around. Most any hobby will provide happiness on the short term, but not all will provide happiness in the long term. The idea here is that the ones that provide both short and long term happiness are better than the ones that merely provide for the short term.
I've known lots of people who played a musical instrument for a few years, and then it just collects dust in the corner. It doesn't provide any long term happiness necessarily.
If you claim that active hobbies have greater than chances of providing you with long term happiness than passive term hobbies, you might be on to something - because they are active, they can be followed on for many years, instead of at the whim of the source.
Reading, for example, has provided me with many years of happiness, and I expect it will continue to do so. Is reading any different from watching a TV show? Not really. It is still a passive activity - though I have a greater choice in books (though it is slowly changing, since I am not restricted in watching what passes for entertainment in my part of the world). Now, reading might involve imagination (like a kid who imagines himself as a Knight), but it doesn't have to.
Lasting happiness is a very strange concept - you are happy doing something now. I doubt I'd get much happiness remembering the violin I played as a kid, or the scuba diving trip I took a few years ago, or the TV show I saw a decade ago.
reading = LOGO while watching = PAN (Score:2, Insightful)
Lots of difference between reading and watching, In both cases we "see" events. What you see is what you get like a panther or bird. Pure sighted visuals overwhelm. But, the reader must manufacture those scenes from word associated meaning. Quite a human snark ... the reader creates! Lots different, eh hoser ...?
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Interesting post. Sorry, no mod points left.
However, there are apparently two forms of happiness. The happiness of being, and the happiness of remembering. The happiness of being is what you describe, whatever you are doing RIGHT NOW can be pleasant or unpleasant. The happiness of remembering is remembering those vacations with your kids, or remembering the violin lessons, the recitals, the fear resolving into pride, etc.
as far as creativity goes, I find that long walks are always a great way to genera
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In a less cynical mindset, I might argue that things like long walks and showers are taking care of the body in order to free the mind (so, not boredom, just not overwhelming it wi
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The examples given provide lasting value.
Watching a television show might provide someone with lasting value (nice memories, for instance).
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Conan Doyle might have had a bit more influence on Holmes's creativity than the violin playing.
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"Conan Doyle might have had a bit more influence on Holmes's creativity than the violin playing."
True. And that's exactly what the article is about: that if Conan Doyle had had an ipad back in his day there probably wouldn't be any Sherlock Holmes.
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Don't be so ridiculously literal ... replace cooking or guitar with whatever floats your boat.
Of course cooking or guitar are already considered creative endeavors.
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If I had a boat, it would be floated by "water". (Perhaps "fresh" or perhaps "salt", but water nonetheless). So should I put water on the guitar or just try to play water instead of the guitar? Because frankly I don't think that will work unless I freeze the water first. So maybe you mean I should replace the guitar and cooking with carving ice sculptures? They can float my boat after they melt.
In your case, I think it would be more appropriate to replace the water with a fairly strong antipsychotic.
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If it's an electric one I think you should.