Aha Moment By Mark Jung-Beeman Summary

“It’s one of those defining features of the human mind, and yet we have no idea how or why it happens,” is what Mark Jung-Beeman expresses in his meeting with Lehrer (79). At first, someone can be in the middle of having a dilemma and experience a mental block that offers no clarity to a solution. However, at a least expected time the person has an “aha moment” which gives them the resolution to the current dilemma. John Lehrer writes about a cognitive neuroscientist from Northwestern University, Mark Jung-Beeman focuses on a mental process to explain what an insight is to his readers. In his first main point, he expands upon the information about the medical evidence within a person’s brain that shows response to when an insight happens.

This research led to questions about the top down process, in which the different areas of the brain are compared to “the conductor of an orchestra, waving its [sic] baton and directing the players” (Lehrer). Miller conducts tests with monkeys, by using a series of dots and an organizational process that the animal goes through to get to the insight moment.

Lehrer made a point to connect his work to people’s real life experiences. His main example is the fire in Montana in the summer of 1949. The leader in charge made a costly decision which resulted in thirteen smoke jumper’s death. However, Wag Dodge came out alive due to his last-minute thought in an attempt to save his own life. He got down on the burned ground that he lit on fire and watched as the forest fire engulfed him. He comments that in the tragic event “It just seemed the logical thing to do” (Lehrer). That day Dodge was lucky he walked out of that situation

However, step away from their problem and let their mind begin to proceed through the insight method. In this certain method, German researchers are connecting people with schizophrenia to the ability to use their right hemisphere in the brain. In results to collectively having more creative and associative thinking in coming up with a resolution to the problem through an insight (81-82).

In another example of this process, mathematician Henri Poincarè got onto a bus, had a flash of insight that led to the creation of the non-Euclidean geometry in mathematics. He went on to explain that his insight came “At the moment when I put my foot on the step” (Lehrer).

Lehrer states that Kounios points out that Google headquarters has ping-pong tables in their building, so the employees get a chance to relax. This will help the workers to have an insight since they took time to step away from their highly-concentrated tasks.

In the article, there is an example about the agency named DARPA. This organization takes the testing and implements the process in war. This will give the soldiers a chance to gain creatively in their day to day