Set to be this year’s biggest blockbuster, The Odyssey’s cast has been selected to ‘represent the world’. Except that one key country seems to have gone completely unrepresented. Why is Christopher Nolan’s new Greek epic entirely devoid of Greeks? www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ju...

What the Hellenic! Why is Christopher Nolan’s new Greek epic entirely devoid of Greeks?

Set to be this year’s biggest blockbuster, The Odyssey’s cast has been selected to ‘represent the world’. Fair enough – except that one key country seems to have gone completely unrepresented …

theguardian.com

Why U.S. Test Scores Are in a "Generation-Long Decline." Personally, I think that the proliferation of AI chatbot use will accelerate this effect. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/u...

Why U.S. Test Scores Are in a ‘Generation-Long Decline’

nytimes.com

I was interviewed by a reporter for National Public Radio for an article on sarcasm: www.npr.org/2026/04/08/n...

Your sarcasm is showing — and its history is surprisingly violent

Some people use sarcasm jokingly. But funnily enough, we tend not to find it witty when we're on the receiving end.

npr.org

Congratulations to my dear wife, Yvette, on her Excellence in Teaching Award from Widener University. She is a wonderful writer and writing/literature instructor. Yvette collaborated with me on The Eureka Factor book and a recent cover story for Scientific American.

Popular Mechanics: Want Better Ideas Fast? Scientists Say You Can Prime Your Brain for ‘Eureka’ Moments—Here’s How: www.popularmechanics.com/science/a707...

Want Better Ideas Fast? Scientists Say You Can Prime Your Brain for ‘Eureka’ Moments—Here’s How

Breakthrough ideas often appear when you least expect them—but studies show there’s more than one way to trigger a “eureka” moment.

popularmechanics.com

I am very grateful to have received the Rudolf Arnheim Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts from Division 10 of the American Psychological Association. Thank you, #APA colleagues. #creativity

Yesterday, I was privileged to hear the @philorch.bsky.social under @nezetseguin.bsky.social give a titanic performance of Gustav Mahler's Symphony #2 ("Resurrection") at Marian Anderson Hall in Philadelphia's Kimmel Center. THANK YOU!

Many of the scientists Jeffrey Epstein courted were already well-established and well-funded. So why didn’t they all just say no? Science talked with three who did just that. Here’s how Epstein approached them, and why they refused to have anything to do with him. ⬇️ https://scim.ag/40qbXnv

Meet three scientists who said no to Epstein

The warning signs included a web search, a mother’s doubts, and inklings of a “sexist attitude”

scim.ag

Nice coverage of the recent Neuroscience-of-Consciousness article from the PhD dissertation of @karenkonkoly.bsky.social here in TIME magazine, with a photo showing how dreams help you put all the puzzle pieces of your life together time.com/7381398/can-...

Can Dreams Help You Solve Problems?

Researchers wonder whether the dreaming state might be doing more than you realize.

time.com

AI people misunderstand "general intelligence." It isn't the ability to do every task a human can do. For the last 125 yrs of human intelligence research, general intelligence refers to a hypothetical unitary ability to do everything as opposed to a collection of separate abilities.

"Why the ADHD brain is a perfect pairing for AI," excellent article by Jared Lindzon in @fastcompany.com which cites our new study on the relationship between ADHD and creativity. www.fastcompany.com/91493923/why...

Why the ADHD brain is a perfect pairing for AI

Those with the condition tend to struggle in the domains where AI excels, and vice versa.

fastcompany.com

Congratulations on your important study, Ken!

Ken Paller@paller.bsky.social · 6mo ago

@carolynyjohnson.bsky.social did an excellent job today of summarizing the research and key issues surrounding the idea of "sleeping on it" (Not A Myth) — Thank You Carolyn! wapo.st/4rqb1LF

Strong ADHD symptoms may boost creative problem-solving through sudden insight

Strong ADHD symptoms may boost creative problem-solving through sudden insight

A new study finds that people with high levels of ADHD symptoms solve creative problems differently. They rely more on sudden insight than step-by-step analysis, often outperforming those with moderate symptoms.

psypost.org

Our new research on the relationship between #ADHD and #creativity: www.psypost.org/strong-adhd-...

Strong ADHD symptoms may boost creative problem-solving through sudden insight

A new study finds that people with high levels of ADHD symptoms solve creative problems differently. They rely more on sudden insight than step-by-step analysis, often outperforming those with moderat...

psypost.org

I was delighted to be on KeithSawyer's Science of Creativity podcast to talk about creative insight (i.e., the #ahamoment) and the #flowstate. You can hear it on YouTube and on all regular podcast platforms: youtu.be/HYMQ8BX9cyM?...

John Kounios: The Neuroscience of Creativity

YouTube video by The Science of Creativity with Dr. Keith Sawyer

youtu.be

Here's a video Google NotebookLM video "explainer" of our new peer-reviewed study of the relationship between #ADHD and #creativity just published in Personality and Individual Differences. There is a link to the journal article in the YouTube description. youtu.be/ABlEf6zl4-8?...

ADHD & Creativity

YouTube video by John Kounios

youtu.be

@timmytimmytimmytim.bsky.social You gave an outstanding talk on visual perception at Drexel University yesterday. Thanks!

New study from my lab: ADHD symptoms predict problem-solving by insight (the Aha! phenomenon) - the missing link between ADHD and creativity. authors.elsevier.com/a/1mS77heKe3...

New study from my lab: ADHD symptoms predict problem-solving by insight (the Aha! phenomenon) - the missing link between ADHD and creativity. authors.elsevier.com/a/1mS77heKe3...

The brain reaches maturity around age 32: www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...

When is your brain actually an "adult"? : Short Wave

There’s this idea that something happens in the human brain when we turn 25. Suddenly, we can rent a car without fees. Make rational decisions. We may even regret some of our past… indiscretions. All ...

npr.org

When the Mind Returns | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cons...

When the Mind Returns

Some people with advanced dementia show sudden, brief returns of clarity near the end of life—speaking, remembering, reconnecting. What is terminal lucidity?

psychologytoday.com

@think.kera.org podcast listed our March interview "Eureka! How your brain figures it out" as one of their Best of 2025. think.kera.org/2025/12/22/b...

Best of Think 2025 - Think

From December 22nd to January 2nd, we’ll be revisiting some of our most listened to Think conversations of 2025. If you missed ’em the first time, this is a great way to catch up!

think.kera.org

My latest article for "Psychology Today": www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/smal...

The Rise of the Vibe

What matters more — feelings or facts? The increasingly common use of "vibe" may provide a clue.

psychologytoday.com

Funders must recognise that great discoveries often come from studies that seeks to advance knowledge for its own sake go.nature.com/47zrzYZ

From MRI to Ozempic: breakthroughs that show why fundamental research must be protected

In these financially straitened times, funders must recognize that great discoveries often arise from work that was looking for something completely different.

go.nature.com

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/o...

Opinion | Too Many Dings and Beeps? Try Beethoven.

nytimes.com

@sciam.bsky.social has a new special edition entitled The Conscious Brain (www.scientificamerican.com/issue/specia...). It contains our feature article "The Brain Science of Elusive 'Aha moments'" from the March 2025 issue which you can read here: www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

Scientific American Volume 34, Issue 3s

"The Brain Science of Elusive ‘Aha! Moments’", "The Quest to Build a Truly Intelligent Machine Helps Us Learn about Our Own Intelligence", "Lifting the Veil on Near-Death Experiences" and more

scientificamerican.com

The Fever Dream of Imminent ‘Superintelligence’ Is Finally Breaking www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/o...

Opinion | The Fever Dream of Imminent ‘Superintelligence’ Is Finally Breaking

nytimes.com

The Conversation is rerunning their 2024 podcast episode about our research on the neuroscience of creative flow. #flowstate #flow youtu.be/C80jDmaPFNs?...

The secret ingredients for creative flow

YouTube video by The Conversation

youtu.be

Our research on the #flowstate is reported in a new (paywalled) article by ‪@shaylalove.bsky.social‬ on NationalGeographic.com to accompany the "Limitless: Live Better Now" TV series with Chris Hemsworth on DisneyPlus and Hulu. www.nationalgeographic.com/health/artic...

What is flow state? Here’s the science behind top athletes' laser focus.

Flow state isn't just for top runners and creatives. Neuroscientists share how to tap into peak focus like a pro.

nationalgeographic.com

The quest for #LLM based #AGI should take into consideration the fact that human natural general intelligence (#NGI) results from interaction of modules at various levels of abstraction and control. These maintain models of ground-truth reality and imagined worlds.