Written at Random

infoneer-pulse:

One of the many paradoxes of human creativity is that it seems to benefit from constraints. Although we imagine the imagination as requiring total freedom, the reality of the creative process is that it’s often entangled with strict conventions and formal requirements. Pop songs have choruses and refrains; symphonies have four movements; plays have five acts; painters still rely on the tropes of portraiture.

Perhaps the best example of this phenomenon is poetry. At first glance, the art seems to be defined by its liberation from ordinary language – poets don’t have to obey the rules of syntax and punctuation. And yet, most poetry still depends on literary forms with exacting requirements, such as haikus, sestets and sonnets. This writing method seems to make little sense, since it makes the creative act much more difficult. Instead of composing free verse, poets frustrate themselves with structural constraints. Why?

» via Wired

The title links to a thorough discussion of concerns regarding the forthcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), directed toward its development committee. The letter is sponsored by a group of American Psychological Association (APA) divisions. (via this post on PsychCentral)

tyler-renshaw:

To her lover, a beautiful woman is a delight;
To a monk, she’s a distraction;
To a mosquito, a good meal.

— Zen aphorism

This is a quintessential (and I’m assuming ancient?) example of embodied-embedded cognition (EEC). Basically, EEC says that how we perceive stuff depends on interactions…

Michael Austin of Psychology Today’s Ethics for Everyone blog writes about how wisdom is a crucial, but oft-forgotten element in our search for happiness. The following point is definitely one worth remembering:

If we think of happiness not as merely getting what we want, but rather as being a certain sort of person, then we must pursue wisdom.

Mr. Austin elaborates on the discussion by offering examples of “the wise person.” Click though to read the brief, thoughtful article in its entirety. (via Psychology Today)

o-song:

How To Spot A Psychopath by Jon Ronson (The Guardian): We think we know what the word ‘psychopath’ means - it’s a Hannibal Lecter or a Jack the Ripper. It’s the cruelest, most vicious killers. But Ronson’s friend Tony is a psychopath, and Tony’s a charming liar but no Hannibal Lecter….

austinkleon:

Great little piece by Jonah Lehrer:

It’s the difference between a “Save” and the “Save As” function. Our memories are a “Save As”: They are files that get rewritten every time we remember them, which is why the more we remember something, the less accurate the memory becomes.