John Kounios

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”

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

Can Dreams Help You Solve Problems? Researchers wonder whether the dreaming state might be doing more than you realize.

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-...

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

"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...

Congratulations on your important study, Ken!

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.

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 moderat...

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

YouTube video by The Science of Creativity with Dr. Keith Sawyer John Kounios: The Neuroscience of Creativity

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?...

YouTube video by John Kounios ADHD & Creativity

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?...

@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...

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 ...

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

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?

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

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 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...

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

My latest article for "Psychology Today":

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/smal...

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.

Funders must recognise that great discoveries often come from studies that seeks to advance knowledge for its own sake

go.nature.com/47zrzYZ

Opinion | Too Many Dings and Beeps? Try Beethoven.

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

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

@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-...

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

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

Congratulations!

YouTube video by The Conversation The secret ingredients for creative flow

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

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.

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...

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.

Opinion | I’m Watching the Sacrifice of College’s Soul

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/o...

The jury is out. Just because a model can predict or mimic human responses in psych experiments doesn't mean that the model explains how people think. Cognitive psychologists have been grappling with model mimicry - that qualitatively different models can predict the same human data - for decades.

Cracking the creativity code - WHYY Psychologist John Kounios on our creative brain and those "eureka moments." Plus, how composer Jennifer Higdon channels her creativity into her music.

Honored to discuss creative insight and flow with brilliant creatives Marty Moss-Coane and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon on Marty's excellent The Connection program on @whyy.org (linked below). Includes a fantastic excerpt of Jennifer's Concerto 4-3. Enjoy. whyy.org/episodes/cra...

Cracking the creativity code - WHYY Psychologist John Kounios on our creative brain and those "eureka moments." Plus, how composer Jennifer Higdon channels her creativity into her music.

Cracking the Creativity Code. Catch me on The Connection with Marty Moss-Coane and Jennifer Higdon today (Friday) and Sunday at noon ET on WHYY radio, thereafter as a podcast. whyy.org/episodes/cra...

Eureka! The brain science behind lightbulb moments Experiences of insight come with a burst of brain activity — and a memory boost.

"Eureka! The brain science behind lightbulb moments" - Excellent coverage in Nature of research on the neuroscience of Aha moments, including our research on this phenomenon. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Christine Chesebrough: www.linkedin.com/in/christine...