Beautiful Minds

Musings on Intelligence and Creativity in Society

By Scott Barry Kaufman

For the love of the Muse

By Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. on June 10, 2009 - 5:06am in Beautiful Minds

It has long been known that the mating motive can be a remarkably potent creative force. Indeed, many wildly creative individuals report being inspired by a Muse. But what about the rest of us? Does the average person spontaneously increase his or her creative display once the mating motive is active? And if the mating motive can increase creativity, how is this reconciled with research showing that the mating motive can impair cognitive functioning (see Interacting with women makes men stupid)? Finally, why are female Muses so predominant? Where are all the male Muses? I'm out of breath asking so many questions. Please read on already. Read More

Interacting with women makes men stupid

By Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. on May 18, 2009 - 6:30pm in Beautiful Minds

Can interacting with women make men stupid? A hot off the press article in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology may finally shed some light on a question I, and I'm sure many others, have been wondering for quite some time now. Read More

Susan Boyle: From Not To Hot

By Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. on April 19, 2009 - 10:28am in Beautiful Minds

I really enjoyed reading Bella DePaulo's recent post about Susan Boyle. I was particularly intrigued, however, by one readers comment. SharonC writes: "And I'm sure that we all have met an "ugly" person who, as we got to know them, became quite beautiful in our eyes." Can our perceptions of someone's physical attractiveness really increase or decrease after we get to know more about their non-physical traits? There is some really fascinating research on this topic. Read More

Are People With Schizophrenia Living a Dream?

By Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. on March 20, 2009 - 12:44pm in Beautiful Minds

In the most recent issue of Psychology Today (March-April 2009), Josie Glausiusz wrote a terrific piece ("Devoted to Distraction") about the potential adaptive benefits of daydreaming and the default network in the brain that is active during such flights of fancy. The article got me thinking about some recent research on the relation between the default network and schizophrenia. These findings raise the intriguing possibility that people with schizophrenia are always night-dreaming--even when they are awake. The implications here are huge. Not just for understanding theory of mind, autism, Alzheimer's, and morality, but also for creativity. Read More

Schizophrenic Thought: Madness or Potential for Genius?

By Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. on March 3, 2009 - 5:39pm in Beautiful Minds

Many people with schizophrenia have difficulty sorting out their emotions, often becoming overwhelmed with the influx of emotions they are experiencing. Since a lot of these emotions may be intuitions that are actually accurate, some people with schizophrenia may actually have a greater chance of making a creative connection than someone without schizophrenia. A recent journal article shows a connection in a group of high-achieving adolescents between this flooding of information and faith in intuition. This research, along with other recent findings suggest that it's time to fundamentally re-conceptualize the thought processes of people with schizophrenia, not as madness but as potential for creative greatness. Read More

Obama is President So Racism is Over. Right?

By Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. on February 24, 2009 - 5:39pm in Beautiful Minds

Obama is President so racism is over. Right? If you are one of the many Americans who thinks this is the case, two hot off the press articles in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology will make you think twice. Read More

Use Your Mating Intelligence this Valentine's Day

By Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. on February 14, 2009 - 4:36pm in Beautiful Minds

This Valentine's Day, whether you are single, in a serious relationship, or just starting a new relationship, a little Mating Intelligence can go a long way.

The Equality of the Sexes I: Fact or Artefact?

By Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. on January 19, 2009 - 10:00pm in Beautiful Minds

It is widely believed that the equality of general mental ability differences between men and women is purely an artefact of the way the tests were initially created. Indeed, researchers often treat this idea as fact. But is it?

The Tears of a Clown

By Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. on December 22, 2008 - 6:51am in Beautiful Minds

Everyone likes a good comic. But behind every punch line is a real live human sweating profusely to get a laugh. What are these people like? How did the comic become this way, constantly pushing the limit to get a reaction from others? What motivates the comic? How do comics perceive themselves?

Composer Elliot Carter-- 100 and still blooming.

By Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D. on December 12, 2008 - 5:32pm in Beautiful Minds

This past Thursday Elliot Carter, possibly America's greatest living composer, celebrated his 100th birthday. While most at that age reflect on their lives and their work, Carter is too busy composing. Read More