#185: David Eagleman — The Neuroscience of Creativity, Navigating Genres, Protecting Your Brain in the Age of AI, plus The Lazy Susan Method

Description:

Neuroscientist and bestselling author David Eagleman on the brain science behind creativity, what actually causes writer's block, and how pre-commitment strategies like the Ulysses contract can help writers finish what they start.

You'll learn:

• Why creativity isn't a rare gift, and what's actually happening in every brain when it absorbs and remixes the world around it.

• The three core algorithms behind creative thinking, and how to use them deliberately when you're stuck on a project.

• What's really going on in the brain when a writer feels blocked, and why the fix might be simpler than you think.

• A compelling case against the "shower idea" myth, and why sitting down to work may be where your best thinking actually happens.

• How a concept from ancient Greek literature can help you set up contracts with your future self to finish what you start.

• A surprising writing routine behind roughly a million published words, and why it happens at the same chain restaurant every time.

• A method for juggling multiple creative projects without losing momentum on any of them.

• Why switching genres and feeling like a beginner is one of the best things you can do for your brain as a writer.

• How to think about the difference between fiction and nonfiction when it comes to what AI can and can't replace.

• The moment at age 13 that shaped an entire career in science communication, and what it reveals about writing for an audience.

Resources & Links:

• 📄 Interview Transcript (docs.google.com/document/d/1DeNaj2qssUo6brELiZ…)

• David’s Website (eagleman.com)

• Inner Cosmos (eagleman.com/podcast)

• The Creative Brain (eagleman.com/television/the-creative-brain)

• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmos_(Sagan_book) by Carl Sagan

• The Runaway Species (eagleman.com/books/the-runaway-species)

• Ulysses contract (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_pact)

• Sum (eagleman.com/books/sum)

• David’s Substack (davideagleman.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profi…)

About David Eagleman:

David Eagleman is a neuroscientist at Stanford University and an internationally bestselling author. He is co-founder of two venture-backed companies, Neosensory and BrainCheck, and he also directs the Center for Science and Law, a national non-profit institute. He is best known for his work on sensory substitution, time perception, brain plasticity, synesthesia, and neurolaw. His books include Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives, The Runaway Species, and Livewired. He is the writer and presenter of the Emmy-nominated PBS series The Brain with David Eagleman and hosts the podcast Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman.

For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com. (podcast.londonwriterssalon.com)
For free writing sessions, join free Writers’ Hours: writershour.com. (writershour.com)
*
FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS’ SALON
Twitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalon (twitter.com/WritersSalon)
Instagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalon
Facebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalon
If you’re enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!