The hidden value of an afternoon nap
Google, the sewing machine and The Terminator all have one thing in common: they were all inspired by dreams.
In fact, some of the world’s most important innovations were triggered by our subconscious.
But we all know that feeling when that brilliant idea disappears from grasp on waking. (All those Yesterdays and Frankensteins we could have written by now!) How do you access those ideas before they disappear?
Thomas Edison, inventor of the lightbulb, might have been on the money.
The inventor is said to have napped while holding a ball in each hand, because as he fell asleep, the orbs would fall to the floor and wake him, and he’d be able to remember what he was dreaming before it was too late.
To sleep fans, this sounds knackering. But scientists have proven the value in this if we want to access creative thoughts or ideas that might otherwise disappear forever.
Inspired by Edison, Delphine Oudiette of the Paris Brain Institute presented 103 participants with mathematical problems that had a hidden rule that allowed them to be solved much faster. Those who had dozed while holding a glass in their hands were nearly three times more likely to crack the hidden rule as others who had stayed awake throughout the experiment.
It’s the kind of study that you can try at home. Grab a heavy object, lie down, focus hard on a creative problem, and see what you discover.
I look forward to finding out what happened to Lord Lucan, where your passport is, and listening to your debut album.
Simple hack
Thanks to Alan Smith of City Capital for this one – who knew that the Notes app on an iPhone was also a scanner? Simply hold down the app and click the ‘scan document’ option.
Shameless plug
I reveal helpful tips on how advisers and planners might want to think about working with introducers in this piece on Nucleus’s Illuminate blog.
Stat of the week
Younger people use cash so little that they struggle to remember their pin. Lloyds reports that 60% of the people who’ve asked for reminders this year have been under 40.
Cool hands
This gaming mouse houses a tiny fan that blows cool air onto your palms through its honeycomb shell to help keep your mitts dry during sweaty weather.
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