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The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain Paperback – April 14, 2015

by John Kounios (Author), Mark Beeman (Author), Yvette S. Kounios (Contributor)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 83 ratings
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"An incredible accomplishment"—The Wall Street Journal

"Delicious"—Newsweek

"An amazing book"—Steven Kotler, New York Times bestselling author of Last Tango in Cyberspace

"An excellent title for those interested in neuroscience or creativity....The writing is engaging and readable...including suggestions throughout to help people become more insightful.”—Library Journal (Starred Review)

“The Eureka Factor presents a fascinating and illuminating account of the creative process and how to foster it.”—James J. Heckman, Nobel laureate in economics

“[An] ingenious, thoughtful update on how the mind works.”—Kirkus Reviews

The Eureka Factor is the most authoritative and engaging book about the science and practical enhancement of creative insight. It has now been reissued in paperback by the authors, John Kounios and Mark Beeman, the cognitive neuroscientists who discovered how the brain has aha moments—sudden creative insights. They explain how aha moments happen, when we need them, and how we can have more of them to enrich our lives and empower personal and professional success. Eureka or aha moments are sudden realizations that expand our understanding of the world and ourselves, conferring both personal growth and practical advantage. Creative insights conveyed an important discovery in the science of genetics to Nobel laureate Barbara McClintock, the melody of a Beatles ballad to Paul McCartney, and an understanding of the cause of human suffering to the Buddha. But these moments of clarity are not given only to the famous. Anyone can have them. In The Eureka Factor, Kounios and Beeman explain how insights arise and what the scientific research says about stimulating more of them. They also explain when insights are helpful and when methodical thinking is better. Written in a lively, colorful style, this book goes beyond scientific principles to offer productive techniques for realizing your creative potential at home and at work. It also tells compelling anecdotes that illustrate how eureka experiences can be a key factor in your life. Attend a dinner party with Christopher Columbus to learn why we need insights. Go to a baseball game with the director of a classic Disney Pixar movie to learn about one important type of aha moment. Observe the behind-the-scenes arrangements for an Elvis Presley concert to learn why the timing of insights is crucial. Accessible and compelling, The Eureka Factor is a fascinating look at the human brain and its infinite capacity to surprise us.

About the Authors.

Kounios and Beeman’s research has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Times (U.K.), as well as on NPR and BBC Television. Their work was profiled in The New Yorker and is part of an exhibit at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.

John Kounios, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Drexel University. He has published cognitive neuroscience research on insight, creativity, problem solving, and memory. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. He is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the Psychonomic Society and serves on National Science Foundation advisory panels.

Mark Beeman, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Northwestern University, where he studies the neural basis of creativity and how mood affects cognition. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the John Templeton Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research. He is a Kavli fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, and serves on National Science Foundation advisory panels.

Yvette S. Kounios, M.A., contributed to The Eureka Factor. She is a journalist, university writing instructor, and Philadelphia Press Association Award recipient.
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  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    April 14, 2015
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.72 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1079002251
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1079002256
  7. See all details
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4.6 out of 5 stars
83 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read and well-written. They find the insights insightful and informative, providing an excellent introduction to the topic of creative thinking and neuroscience. The book offers valuable techniques for problem solving for psychology students and teachers.

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ReadabilityInsight
8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and enjoyable to read. They describe it as well-written, accessible to a general audience, and worth studying.

"Kounios & Beeman’s highly readable book illustrates with different sorts of evidence how our thinking sometimes makes a sudden shift towards insight..." Read more

"...If you're looking for a great read, look no further. If you're looking for a book that could change how you think about thinking, you've found it." Read more

"This readable and brilliant work is a pleasure to study." Read more

"Great book! Fun, easy to read and critically important information for leaders and teachers!" Read more

7 customers mention "Insight"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and informative. They say it provides an excellent introduction to the topic of creative insight and neuroscience. Readers appreciate the interesting perspective on how and why ideas pop in our heads at certain times. The book offers students of psychology and teachers and mentors from many different backgrounds important information about how and why ideas pop. It is well-written, scientifically informed, and illustrated with different kinds of evidence.

"Kounios & Beeman’s highly readable book illustrates with different sorts of evidence how our thinking sometimes makes a sudden shift towards insight..." Read more

"...Kounios and Beeman do a wonderful job of sharing their own research and that of others in plain language, and offer thoughts on how to use this..." Read more

"Beautifully written, scientifically informed, and (dare I say?) extremely insightful...." Read more

"...gave the authors enough evidence of the reality and distinctiveness of insight...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • lmcclosk
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written book on the source of creative thinking and "aha" moments that are the inspiration for all of us
    Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Kounios & Beeman’s highly readable book illustrates with different sorts of evidence how our thinking sometimes makes a sudden shift towards insight and away from problem-focused, analytical thinking. These insights are fostered by positive mood, by travel and living in other cultures, and often by embracing the “big picture” at the expense of details. While people can be drummed into solving problems step by step, they can’t be coerced into creative insight through deadlines, threatening bosses, and especially a negative social climate. The authors provide classic examples of leaders in science and the arts who cultivated the “insight” experiences in their fields, and stuck with those insights to make amazing contributions from Helen Keller whose first linguistic associations with sign were remembered in her autobiography to Judah Folkman who originated the idea of angiogenesis to explain cancer growth. This book offers students of psychology and teachers and mentors from many different fields to consider what it takes to promote creativity, innovation and more “aha” moments. The last chapter offers key strategies to unleash creative thinking through simple routines encompassing meditation, an open and light workspace, and eliminating distraction. This is not only an excellent introduction to the topic of creative insight and neuroscience, but to many pioneers in social and cognitive psychology.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • KT
    5.0 out of 5 stars "That's Good Science" and a great read too
    Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Brain science has inundated the world of leadership development. As an executive coach who happens to be married to a neuroscientist and neurologist I constantly am trying to separate the brilliance from the bunk and to find the useful bites I can share with clients and colleagues. The frequent response from my in-house neuro-expert when I quote or show him some new lay publication is an intense scowl and choice words. Not so here. Each trial balloon I have lobbed in his direction has been met approving nods and exclamations such as "that's good science."

    Kounios and Beeman do a wonderful job of sharing their own research and that of others in plain language, and offer thoughts on how to use this information in our own lives.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Roger J. Kreuz
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written, scientifically informed
    Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Beautifully written, scientifically informed, and (dare I say?) extremely insightful. This review of the science of "aha" experiences, by two widely respected cognitive neuroscientists, offers something for just about everyone. It could serve as a textbook example of how to translate laboratory research into a compelling and rich narrative that will be accessible to a general audience. The final chapter, on how to stimulate insight experiences, is worth the price of admission by itself. If you're looking for a great read, look no further. If you're looking for a book that could change how you think about thinking, you've found it.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Caroline H. Knowles
    5.0 out of 5 stars Deep, Compelling, Informative
    Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2022
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    This readable and brilliant work is a pleasure to study.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Cat Trina
    4.0 out of 5 stars One word: FASCINATING.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2015
    Amazon Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
    The brain is quite the organ. As research and technology progress, so does the wealth of knowledge on how the brain does its job - and how the "Eureka" moments come about. I must say that I couldn't help thinking about the animated film Hemo the Magnificent, which I saw in grammar school back in the late 1960s/early 1970s. The Eureka Factor presents the material in a way that is accessible to the lay person who is interested in reading about some of the brain's inner workings based in science. I still, however, believe in some of the less scientific theories about nothing ever being coincidental (like how the author's met each other) and a few things that will always seem a bit new-agey to hard core scientists.

    To take it all a step further, there are data and measurements included through the use of EEG and FMRI imaging technology to reinforce what's being explained. Mark Beeman and John Kounios, the authors, deserve props for making the material interesting and accessible to people (like me) without an intense neuroscience education or background (although I picked up a few concepts back in the late 1980s when I worked for the Neurosciences Institute at Rockefeller University as a Bibliographer before it moved out to La Jolla). In other words, they don't talk down to the reader or present the material in too esoteric a way. And nearly all of the concepts are backed up by examples and clear explanations on the nature of insight (the Eureka! or the A-ha! moment).

    I had a couple of slight issues with the way I think about certain concepts such as how we are "the" species with the ability to experience the Eureka factor. I was thinking about a friend's dog who had figured out how to break into the cabinet or fridge for treats or food. He knew not to do it when someone was around. How did he learn that? By getting scolded a few times and then learning to try it when no one was home. To me, that says insight (A-ha! If no one is home to stop me...). It ended with safety clasps on the cabinets and fridge. You could attribute this type of behavior to the concept of reward and punishment but still, that moment when the dog understands...

    It's interesting how they also acknowledge the effectiveness of melancholy on creative types who experience bursts of creative insight during bouts of depression (which validates my theory that Billy Joel did his best work when he was miserable - before and after his marriage to Christie Brinkley - as his body of work during that time proves, but that's just me). The same goes for writers, artists and other creative (intuitive) types who are much broader thinkers than the non-creative (analytical).

    Additionally, the book includes a bunch of exercises and quizzes for assessing one's own cognitive behavior, stuff about the brain's hemispheres, how the moment of insight comes about and how it solves problems.

    This is quite a fascinating read. One that I may have to go back to for a second read.

    Recommend.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Viv Rolfe
    5.0 out of 5 stars An understandable account of human psychology
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 29, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I loved this book and couldn't put it down. For the first time I've come across a psychology book that is clearly written, easy to understand by someone with a bit of a science background but not an expert in this subject. The anecdotes and examples provided by the authors bring the ideas to life, and everything in it is underpinned by science. It gives a clear picture of how the brain works and dispels some of the myths out there that oversimplify such as being left or right brained. If you want to learn how to become more creative or a clearer thinker, this book will explain what is going on in your brain and actually what you can do about it.
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  • max le parisien
    5.0 out of 5 stars TO BECOME A NEW HEMINGWAYI
    Reviewed in France on January 3, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Very interesting and easy to read because of a humourus way or writing and many tips to get to the aha moment.
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  • matt leaver
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 29, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    One learns everyday. Great book.
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  • J. Storey
    5.0 out of 5 stars Explains insight well
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Good read based on scientific proof rather than conjecture.
    Would have liked some 'how todos' and some practical qui dance
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  • Peter Sersli
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thx
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 1, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Fast shipping and great product
    Report