Research to be published today in the journal Cognitive Brain Research suggests that we're more creative lying down than standing up. In a study conducted by a psychologist at the Australian National University, subjects solved anagrams faster in a prone position than while standing. What's behind these results? Noradrenaline. That's a neurotransmitter that enhances the more focused aspects of cognitive ability, but in the process may impair the symphonic thinking associated with creativity. When we lie down, however, we release less noradrenaline -- and therefore our creativity may encounter fewer impediments. If this is right, I see a huge market in adult-sized kindergarten nap mats. Posted on 05/11.
I write best in the prone position. Plain fact. All my life. From birth-through-40s. From homework to real work. From algebra to Noka. From Emerson to IBM.
So THERE, I say to all who make fun of me for working lying down on my bed. Yes indeed. My desk is a king-size mattress, my cubemate is a TV, and my bathroom is a mere six steps away. If I had the coffee maker up here, there's no telling what I could create.
When in Rome...
