In the next blink, we’ll examine what discoveries humans have made while at play.Įxplorations and playing with sound paved the way for programming and computers. It’s in this freewheeling and playful mode that our minds are at their most creative. We suspend our disbelief and our minds start to make previously unimagined associations. Second, our brains just work differently when we’re playing. It’s through this mechanism that we might be led to important discoveries or unique creations as a result of mere curiosity or happenstance. Consequently, we're wired to want to explore our surroundings and seek out new experiences. Whenever we encounter novelty, our brains give us a shot of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which provides us with a natural high. There’s a powerful conclusion in this anecdote: fun and play have shaped history far more than one might assume – and for good reason the human brain is predisposed to engineer discovery through play. They built automated dolls, self-playing instruments and even a mechanical peacock that dispensed water and soap when its feathers were pulled. In fact, they spent most of their time trying to entertain others by constructing frivolous trinkets and toys. Steven Johnson argues that, throughout history, the cutting edge of innovation lies wherever people are working the hardest to keep themselves and others amused. Useful though their ideas became, the Banu Musa brothers began by just messing about. They described their self-built machines and introduced principles that laid the groundwork for innovations such as the steam engine or the jet engine, which would not be built until centuries later. As two of the best engineers of their time, they published groundbreaking work on mechanics and hydraulics in The Book of Ingenious Devices. They were Islamic scholars in ninth-century Baghdad. A little bit of fun has gone a long way!Ĭonsider the Banu Musa brothers. When we think of innovation and progress in human history, the easy assumption to make would be that necessity or utilitarianism played a part at some point.īut in reality, many important inventions have been sparked in the crucible of play.

Wonderland steven johnson