If I stay up ~4 hours past my normal waking period, I get into a flow state and it becomes really easy to read heavy literature. It’s like the part of my brain that usually wants to shift attention to something low effort is silenced. I’ve had a similar, but less intense increase in concentration after sex / masturbation.
A very common phenomenon is that people are inhibited from doing work because they don’t like the quality of what they produce. If they are a little sleep-deprived or drunk, they can avoid this inhibition. I think you’re talking about something else, though.
this seems like a super important insight for creativity. Is there a way to practice caring less about initial quality? I’m thinking the obvious of just brainstorming and stream of consciousness writing with as little filter as possible.
You don’t think practice while drunk would transfer to non-drunk? I guess there’s the issue of state-dependent memory, but I think a plausible strategy is to start your creative sessions drunk and then gradually decrease the amount of alcohol involved over time.
Alcohol is a depressant—it binds to pre-synaptic receptors for the brain’s major inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). The delta subunit containing GABA receptor, to which alcohol’s ethanol has now bound, allows for influx of negatively charged Chlorine into the pre-synaptic GABAergic (GABA transmitting) cell; the cell’s charge is lowered, which inhibits further action potentials. Cells that transmit GABA will inhibit other cells; hyperpolarising (making the cell’s net charge negative) the inhibitory pre-synaptic GABAergic cell dis-inhibits the post-synaptic cell, which may be excitatory or inhibitory. In the general case of the post-synaptic cell being excitatory, one’s brain will become less inhibited—which is not a good thing for cognitive computation.
Due to physics I confess to not presently comprehend, an entirely uninhibited brain will fire in synchrony. Synchrony of action potential frequency has been observed and mathematically measured to result in decreased cognitive performance: asynchronous brain activity is high performance brain activity (beta waves). I understand it from a reactivity perspective—in order to respond quickly to a stimulus, one needs to inhibit their current action and respond to that stimulus; GABAergic neurones are critical to that inhibition.
In sum, while a buzzed person may feel very happy and jumpy, their reduced cognitive ability to inhibit active firing patterns hinders cognitive performance (they are jumpy because motor neurones are being dis-inhibited, too).
With sufficient ethanol saturation voltage-gated sodium channels become less able to detect changes in the charge of their proximity; non-polar lipid-like ethanol does not conduct electricity. Impaired ability to respond to environmental changes around the cell fetters neurone firing, leading to a drunkard’s depressed, or rather retarded behaviour.
From a speculative standpoint, perhaps the increased excitability and decreased potential for inhibition conduces fewer cognitive interruptions along the lines of, “Hey, listen! To experience an instant reward go to Hyrule!” One’s thoughts, literally, cannot be stopped enough to have that thought.
It’s still depressing neurones; the neurones it’s depressing are inhibitory neurones, which dis-inhibits excitatory neurones. Your comment prompted me to do a research-check, and it turns out I was completely wrong (don’t theorise beyond your nose, eh?). The above comment now reflects reality.
~5 hours after I usually go to bed is an incredibly productive period of time for me. So the timing doesn’t correspond, but the “part of my brain that usually wants to shift attention” does.
If I stay up ~4 hours past my normal waking period, I get into a flow state and it becomes really easy to read heavy literature. It’s like the part of my brain that usually wants to shift attention to something low effort is silenced. I’ve had a similar, but less intense increase in concentration after sex / masturbation.
Anyone else had that experience?
A very common phenomenon is that people are inhibited from doing work because they don’t like the quality of what they produce. If they are a little sleep-deprived or drunk, they can avoid this inhibition. I think you’re talking about something else, though.
this seems like a super important insight for creativity. Is there a way to practice caring less about initial quality? I’m thinking the obvious of just brainstorming and stream of consciousness writing with as little filter as possible.
How about meditation? Or the cognitive approach of reminding yourself that the path to excellence requires both mistakes and messing around?
Or the even more obvious of just getting drunk?
Yes, I meant cultivating it in a non-impaired state.
You don’t think practice while drunk would transfer to non-drunk? I guess there’s the issue of state-dependent memory, but I think a plausible strategy is to start your creative sessions drunk and then gradually decrease the amount of alcohol involved over time.
Alcohol is a depressant—it binds to pre-synaptic receptors for the brain’s major inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). The delta subunit containing GABA receptor, to which alcohol’s ethanol has now bound, allows for influx of negatively charged Chlorine into the pre-synaptic GABAergic (GABA transmitting) cell; the cell’s charge is lowered, which inhibits further action potentials. Cells that transmit GABA will inhibit other cells; hyperpolarising (making the cell’s net charge negative) the inhibitory pre-synaptic GABAergic cell dis-inhibits the post-synaptic cell, which may be excitatory or inhibitory. In the general case of the post-synaptic cell being excitatory, one’s brain will become less inhibited—which is not a good thing for cognitive computation.
Due to physics I confess to not presently comprehend, an entirely uninhibited brain will fire in synchrony. Synchrony of action potential frequency has been observed and mathematically measured to result in decreased cognitive performance: asynchronous brain activity is high performance brain activity (beta waves). I understand it from a reactivity perspective—in order to respond quickly to a stimulus, one needs to inhibit their current action and respond to that stimulus; GABAergic neurones are critical to that inhibition.
In sum, while a buzzed person may feel very happy and jumpy, their reduced cognitive ability to inhibit active firing patterns hinders cognitive performance (they are jumpy because motor neurones are being dis-inhibited, too).
With sufficient ethanol saturation voltage-gated sodium channels become less able to detect changes in the charge of their proximity; non-polar lipid-like ethanol does not conduct electricity. Impaired ability to respond to environmental changes around the cell fetters neurone firing, leading to a drunkard’s depressed, or rather retarded behaviour.
From a speculative standpoint, perhaps the increased excitability and decreased potential for inhibition conduces fewer cognitive interruptions along the lines of, “Hey, listen! To experience an instant reward go to Hyrule!” One’s thoughts, literally, cannot be stopped enough to have that thought.
While ethanol is neurodepressant overall, its effects can initially mirror those of a stimulant (‘biphasic’).
It’s still depressing neurones; the neurones it’s depressing are inhibitory neurones, which dis-inhibits excitatory neurones. Your comment prompted me to do a research-check, and it turns out I was completely wrong (don’t theorise beyond your nose, eh?). The above comment now reflects reality.
~5 hours after I usually go to bed is an incredibly productive period of time for me. So the timing doesn’t correspond, but the “part of my brain that usually wants to shift attention” does.