The Babylonians possibly started applying mathematics to scientific study. Nearly 3,000 years ago, they used mathematics to discover the pattern underlying eclipses. But it took another 2,500 years and the invention of calculus and Newtonian physics to explain the patterns. Nearly every major scientific discovery has used mathematics because it is more powerful than any other human language. That led to people claiming that the universe is made up of mathematics.

The world is created by a mathematician

The Sapir-Whort hypothesis states that you can't discuss a concept if you don't have the language to describe it. In any science, we need to describe concepts. For example, one can describe an electron, but the moment we ask questions like "What colour is it?" English falls short in describing it. The colour of an object depends on the wavelengths of light reflected by it. So, an electron has no colour or all colours. The question is meaningless. But in answer to how it behaves, we have an accurate equation written down by Paul Dirac in 1928.

Mathematics is a language

Mathematics is not just a language for describing the external world but, in many ways, it is the only one. However, because we can describe something mathematically doesn't mean we can predict it. Chaotic systems is one of the recent remarkable discoveries. These are simple mathematical systems that can't be solved precisely. Many systems are chaotic in this sense. For example, hurricane tracks in the Caribbean are similar to eclipse tracks, but we cannot predict them. The equations that describe weather are intrinsically chaotic but can be used to make accurate short-term predictions.

Predicting chaos

Many social phenomena, from the stock market to revolutions, lack good predictive mathematics, but we can describe them in retrospect and to some extent construct model systems. In personal relationships, the majority of us choose partners inside our social class and linguistic group, so it is true in the statistical sense. Dating sites use algorithms to match you to your ideal partner.

Designing social systems

A universe that could not be described mathematically would need to be not only unpredictable but fundamentally irrational. Because a theory is implausible doesn't mean we can't describe it mathematically.

We can't imagine a non-mathematical universe

Although we can't predict everything in our universe with math, we can certainly describe most of it. And that's plenty handy.

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Technology & The Future

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Science & Nature

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Space

Why mathematics is essential to understanding our universe

In the first 10 seconds of The Adam Project, we see an epigraph: "Time travel exists. You just don't know it yet." Netflix's new sci-fi adventure follows Adam Reed, a fighter pilot from the year 2050 who travels back in time to link up with his younger self (Walker Scobell) and his father (Mark Ruffalo) to save the world.

Travelling Through Time Like The Adam Project On Netflix

Most of us are happy to lose ourselves in a more simplified, fictionalized idea of what time travel looks like instead.In time-travel movies, the theories are proven, the complicated formulas are chalked out, and the starships are fully funded - all we have to do is hop along for the rideThe Adam Project provides a different take on time travel and raises interesting ideas about how it affects memories.

Time Travel Isn't What We Have Been Used To Watching

Without the ability to time travel,  it's hard to say what our memories might look like - but ultimately, he believes it comes down to speculation and semantics, along with the understanding that time simply isn't linear.In the movie, Adam gets a healthy dose of thoughtful counsel from his kid self  - so much so that it changes his perception of his own past for the better.

Time Travel Isn't Linear

Like any time-travel fiction, The Adam Project refers to a surprisingly possible reality — where we could jump ahead in time and return to see how things develop or (less possibly) where we could jump to the past and attempt to reframe the future. Theories and formulas aside, the possibility of it all is what makes time travel so appealing.

Making Us Think

Theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli explains the real science and philosophy of time-travel movies like Ryan Reynolds’ The Adam Project.

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Movies & Shows

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Society, Arts & Culture

Could We Actually Time Travel Like Ryan Reynolds in ‘The Adam Project’?

Mathematical equations can predict the motions of two gravitating masses. But when a third or more are introduced, our analytical tools fall short. It is impossible to write down all the terms of a general formula that can accurately describe the motion of three or more gravitating objects. The problem is in knowing how many unknown variables an n-body system contains.

The three-body problem

Thanks to Isaac Newton, we can write a set of equations to describe the gravitational force that acts between bodies. But, when we try to find a general solution for the unknown variables in these equations, we are faced with a mathematical limitation.For every unknown, there must be one equation that describes it. A two-body system is solvable because its gravitational attraction influences the paths they take in such a way that a simple mathematical formula can describe it. But three or more orbiting objects leaves us with more variables than equations that can describe them.

The mathematical constraint

A system of three stars could come crashing or flung out of orbit after a long time of apparent stability. Almost every possible configuration is unpredictable on long timescales. A slight difference in position and velocity could have a large range of potential outcomes. Physicists describe this behaviour as chaotic - an important characteristic of n-body systems. But it is still deterministic; it’s not random.

Objects that move according to analytically unsolvable equations of motion

Advancements in computer simulations help to avoid disaster. By approximating solutions with powerful processors, we can better predict the motion of n-body systems on long time scales.   When one body in a group of three is so light it has no significant force on the other two, the system behaves as a two-body system. This is known as the “restricted three-body problem.” The restricted three-body system is useful to describe an asteroid in the Earth-Sun gravitational field or a small planet in the field of a black hole and a star.

The restricted three-body system

For space missions to avoid catastrophe, complicated orbits must be calculated with great precision. 

Download a free audiobook version of "The Three-Body Problem" and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-ed -- In 2009, researchers ran a simple experiment. They took everything we know about our solar system and calculated where every planet would be up to 5 billion years in the future. They ran over 2,000 simulations, and the astonishing variety in results revealed that our solar system may be much less stable than it seems. Fabio Pacucci explores the n-body problem and the motion of gravitating objects. Lesson by Fabio Pacucci, directed by Hype CG. Animator's website: https://www.hype.cg/ and https://www.luisacopetti.com/ Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook Find us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitter Peep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/newton-s-three-body-problem-explained-fabio-pacucci Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! João Henrique Rodrigues, Sebastiaan Hols, Aries SW, SANG HAN, Amy Lopez, ReuniteKorea, Vinh-Thuy Nguyen, Liz Candee, Clovis Norroy, Danielle Downs, Nik Maier, Angel Pantoja, Nishant Suneja, 张晓雨, Srinivasa C Pasumarthi, Kathryn Vacha, Anthony Arcis, Jeffrey Segrest, Sandra Fuller Bocko, Alex Pierce, Lawrence Teh Swee Kiang, BRENDAN NEALE, Jane White, Karmi Nguyen, John C. Vesey, Yelena Baykova, Harshita Jagdish Sahijwani, Won Jang, Nick Johnson, Tariq Keblaoui, Carlos H. Costa, Eimann P. Evarola, Aleksandr Lyozin, Mohamed Elsayed, Alan Wilder, Marcus Appelbaum, Francisco Leos, Kevin O'Leary, Les Howard, Ten Cha, Mehmet Yusuf Ertekin, Arlene Weston, phkphk123321, Jennifer Kurkoski, Ryan B Harvey, Austin Randall, Abhishek Bansal, Jayant Sahewal, Dian Atamyanov and igor romanenko.

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Videos

Download a free audiobook version of "The Three-Body Problem" and support TED-Ed's nonprofit mission: https://www.audible.com/ted-ed 

--

In 2009, researchers ran a simple experiment. They took everything we know about our solar system and calculated where every planet would be up to 5 billion years in the future. They ran over 2,000 simulations, and the astonishing variety in results revealed  that our solar system may be much less stable than it seems. Fabio Pacucci explores the n-body problem and the motion of gravitating objects.

Lesson by Fabio Pacucci, directed by Hype CG.

Animator's website: https://www.hype.cg/ and https://www.luisacopetti.com/
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View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/newton-s-three-body-problem-explained-fabio-pacucci

Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! João Henrique Rodrigues, Sebastiaan Hols, Aries SW, SANG HAN, Amy Lopez, ReuniteKorea, Vinh-Thuy Nguyen, Liz Candee, Clovis Norroy, Danielle Downs, Nik Maier, Angel Pantoja, Nishant Suneja, 张晓雨, Srinivasa C Pasumarthi, Kathryn Vacha, Anthony Arcis, Jeffrey Segrest, Sandra Fuller Bocko, Alex Pierce, Lawrence Teh Swee Kiang, BRENDAN NEALE, Jane White, Karmi Nguyen, John C. Vesey, Yelena Baykova, Harshita Jagdish Sahijwani, Won Jang, Nick Johnson, Tariq Keblaoui, Carlos H. Costa, Eimann P. Evarola, Aleksandr Lyozin, Mohamed Elsayed, Alan Wilder, Marcus Appelbaum, Francisco Leos, Kevin O'Leary, Les Howard, Ten Cha, Mehmet Yusuf Ertekin, Arlene Weston, phkphk123321, Jennifer Kurkoski, Ryan B Harvey, Austin Randall, Abhishek Bansal, Jayant Sahewal, Dian Atamyanov and igor romanenko.

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TED-Ed

Newton’s three-body problem explained - Fabio Pacucci

The holiday season can be the loneliest and most stressful time of the year for some people. When combined with workplace stress, the festive season can add stress.  Just before the holiday season, employees are dealing with shortened deadlines, expectations for the end of the fiscal year, and coping with stressed-out customers. Studies also show that productivity drops by 10-20% as workers lack motivation and feel exhausted.

Added stress during the holiday season

<ul><li>Reach out. Use a survey to determine how your team wants to celebrate the holidays at work. </li><li>Be inclusive. The workplace becomes more enjoyable when team members recognize how people from different cultures celebrate holidays.</li><li>Protect personal time. Try to offer an extra day off leading up to the holidays for employees to attend to personal needs.</li><li>Rebalance workloads. Work and home pressure converge at this time of year. Review the workload and see if some project deadlines can move to the new year.</li><li>Give time instead of gifts.</li></ul>

Managers can help combat stress

Most holiday-related stressors are self-imposed and can be avoided.<ul><li>Financial stress can be lessened by buying less.</li><li>Overcommitting can be avoided by saying no.</li><li>Multitasking can be managed by prioritising.</li><li>Loneliness can be prevented by reaching out. Start today by asking someone how they're doing. Listen with kindness and empathy and offer help if needed.</li></ul>

Reduce individual holiday stress

Here’s how to keep everyone’s spirits and productivity up.

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Mental Health

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Leadership & Management

Holidays Can Be Stressful. They Don’t Have to Stress Out Your Team.

When you look at yourself in the mirror, do you like how you look or do you immediately notice flaws?
If you do not feel positive about your appearance, you are not alone. 55 Percent of women and 42 percent of men report feeling unhappy with some part of their appearance. Dissatisfaction with appearance can negatively affect mental health. But, adopting a healthy body image can be good for both mental and physical health.

Developing a good body image

We live in a world that values appearances. It would be strange if we paid no attention to our appearance. However, we can choose how much energy to put into our appearance. <ul><li>We should reflect on what we value. Appreciation of beauty might be a part of our value system, but maybe we value equality or compassion more.</li><li>Living our values means accepting our own and other people's bodies. If we focus too much on our appearance, we might have less time to spend on our interests, friends or family.</li></ul>

Reflect on your values

Research shows that expressing appreciation for our bodies can improve body image. <ul><li>Distract your inner critical voice. When you think I wish my nose was smaller, reply with I love my hair. If you can direct your attention to parts of your body you appreciate, it can help quiet your inner critic.</li><li>You can also try to get into a routine of expressing gratitude about your body every night before bed.</li></ul>

Practice body gratitude

Our bodies are more than just appearance. They serve vital functions necessary for survival. When we focus more on what a body does, it can help to increase our perception of our body. In one study, women were requested to write down ten functions of their bodies and how those functions added to their wellbeing. After this exercise, the participants had a more positive body image during the study.

Focus on functionality

An essential part of developing a positive body image is managing your consumption of media that can negatively influence your body image. This is known as 'protective filtering.' We may feel bad when we compare ourselves with celebrities and social media personalities. But we can decide to avoid them since the people we see in the media rarely look that way in real life. We can decide against watching shows that feature women in objectified roles and focus on something else instead.

Engage in protective filtering

How you think about your health habits can affect your body image. For example, if you go for a run as a punishment for eating, you're not likely to enjoy it. But if you think of running as a way to increase your energy and take care of yourself, you might enjoy it. The key is to reframe your behaviours to make healthy choices sustainable.

Reframe your goals for exercise and eating

Some people might think too much about their appearance if they are trying to feel good about how they look. They might instead aim for 'body neutrality' where they try not to really think about their body. A body-neutral perspective means thinking all people are beautiful because the focus is on inner beauty. One way to adopt this mentality is to start with affirmations that emphasise self-acceptance.

A body-neutral perspective

Are you unhappy with what you see in the mirror? Getting comfortable in your own skin can be hard work, but it’s worth it

Understand yourself and those around you.

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Psychology

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Personal Development

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Health

How to love your body | Psyche Guides

To become lifelong learners, we may find it hard to break away from the traditional education paradigm. One way to unshackle our self-education is to grab hold of the opportunities for unbounded learning.
<ul>
<li>Bounded learning is based on a fixed curriculum and contains specific educational outcomes.</li>
<li>Unbounded learning embraces ongoing personal growth that is fuelled by continuous education. It is based on strategies and tools that foster curiosity.</li>
</ul>

Becoming lifelong learners

<ul>
<li>Unbounded learning cuts out the "middleman" of traditional knowledge providers. It instead encourages students to directly access the best content from various institutions or independent teachers relevant to their goals.</li>
<li>Serendipity. By allowing your education to branch off in any direction, you may discover new areas of interest that you could not have predicted.</li>
<li>You will not be restricted to specific sources or formats but can explore concepts from various angles (podcasts, books from an expert, YouTube etc.).</li>
</ul>

The benefits of unbounded learning

<ul>
<li>You believe and accept that you are in control of your educational journey.</li>
<li>Everything you learn is connected.</li>
<li>New patterns of thought develop over time.</li>
<li>Learning together is more beneficial than learning on your own.</li>
</ul>

Unbounded learning is a mindset

<ul>
<li>Study the source material of any interesting article or book you read.</li>
<li>Mix and match the content to fit your needs. Don't stick to just one course or book. Try different platforms, formats, and educators.</li>
<li>Use thinking tools for unbounded learning. Some note-taking tools are not designed only for linear thinking but support new patterns of thought.</li>
<li>Learn with others, whether with a study buddy or a Twitter account, document your learning journey and ask questions.</li>
<li>Practice self-reflection. Metacognition is essential and can take the form of journaling.</li>
</ul>

How to unbound your education

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Career

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Learning & Education

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Problem Solving

Unbounded learning: how to unshackle your education - Ness Labs

Working memory temporarily stores the information you are working on. But it is not just a simple storage. The working memory enables you to create new thoughts, change them, combine them, search them, or any other function that helps you navigate your life.
By enabling these functions, working memory upholds your thinking, planning, learning, and decision-making.

The working memory

The working memory model of Alan Baddeley divides the working memory into four components:
<ol>
<li>The phonological loop. It is mostly the temporary storage of sounds.</li>
<li>The visuospatial sketchpad. The sketchpad stores two- and three-dimensional images of objects.</li>
<li>The central executive. It is responsible for directing attention and manipulating information. It re-arranges ideas and applies the rules of grammar, logic or algebra to find a solution.</li>
<li>The Episodic buffer.</li>
</ol>

A working memory model

To learn, you must first understand. To understand,
<ul>
<li>your phonological loop must keep track of the sounds of the words;</li>
<li>your central executive must continually update the sequences as you go along;</li>
<li>the meanings need to be integrated, so you understand.</li>
</ul>
If any of these processes fail, you'll get confused.

Learning depends on your working memory

If you practice this skill, you can improve it. To set out how to improve your working memory, it is useful to know how you can measure it.
There is a difference between short-term memory capacity and working memory capacity.
<ul>
<li>Short-term capacity is your ability to temporarily store small amounts of information - digits, letters, words, symbols, etc. The average human span is 4 items; the digit span is 7 digits.</li>
<li>Working memory capacity is your combined ability to store and manipulate information.</li>
</ul>

Working memory is a skill

A phonological loop is a kind of short-term memory storage that stores sound. A conversation, listening to music, and understanding a lecture depends on your phonological loop.
As you read, your phonological loop uses sub vocalisation (your internal voice) to translate visual information (what you read) into auditory information, which is then processed to extract meaning. If your internal voice is disrupted, you will find it hard to maintain information in your phonological loop, and your comprehension will suffer.

The phonological loop stores sound

<ul>
<li>Music interferes with your digit span. Studies found that students performed better when they revised in a quiet environment than the students who listened to music.</li>
<li>Many students listen to music while learning because it helps reduce anxiety. Music could also drown out external noise.</li>
<li>The recommendation is that is you avoid music when studying in a quiet environment. If you don't have a quiet environment, reduce noise by using earplugs.</li>
</ul>

Music interferes with your studies

The visuospatial sketchpad is essential for understanding mathematical, science, technology and engineering subjects.
You can improve your visuospatial working memory. There are two broad strategies for approaching visuospatial problems.
<ul>
<li>A holistic strategy demands the most working-memory.</li>
<li>An analytic strategy consists of noticing the relationship between patterns in a step-by-step way. Break complex tasks into smaller steps and write the steps onto paper.</li>
</ul>

Visuospatial sketchpad

You can use your visuospatial sketchpad to help your phonological loop and vice versa.
<ul>
<li>Instead of remembering a shopping list, you can throw it into one picture. A list of peppers, milk, chicken and mustard can be visualised as a mustard-covered chicken swimming in milk with peppers.</li>
<li>Instead of remembering scientific text from chemistry by summarising the main points, using a drawing-construction strategy is more effective. But the quality of drawings is essential for the technique to be effective.</li>
</ul>

Improve learning with visualisation and drawing

<ul>
<li>Allocation of attention. Multitasking can generally harm our performance. Each time you switch tasks, it takes some time and energy. (You have to shift your goals and reactivate the rules for the activity.) Lots of task switching will add up to lost time during a day.</li>
<li>Manipulation of information. Extra manipulation of information can make your understanding suffer. If you study from multiple sources (several textbooks), it might be good to integrate the information in one place.</li>
</ul>

The functions of the central executive

The idea behind chunking is to group underlying items by some sort of meaning or structure. For example, RTCTAIILFSO is easier remembered when it is regrouped to FRAC-TO-LIS-TIC.
<ul>
<li>You can use chunking to memorise phone numbers, passwords or PIN codes by dividing the given sequence into chunks containing a maximum of 4 items each. A phone number could be split with dashes like this: 743-293-045</li>
<li>One chunking technique to help your learning is organisation. This is where you categorise unstructured study material into meaningful groups.</li>
</ul>

Chunking is the secret to expertise

Chunking is the secret behind mastering any subject. Chunking draws on your long-term memory resources. The more knowledge you have stored, the less information you need to process with your working memory, and the easier it will be to understand and remember your study material.
To master any subject:
<ol>
<li>First, build solid foundations of the basics (the elementary chunks such as meanings and concepts)</li>
<li>Then master the underlying sub-skills.</li>
<li>Then attempt to form increasingly more complex chunks.</li>
</ol>

How to master any subject

Cognitive load is the effort used by the working memory to process information. The working memory capacity is limited: If it is overloaded with information, you will fail to understand.
There are three types of cognitive load:
<ul>
<li>Intrinsic load. It is the level of difficulty of the subject. Reduce the intrinsic load by gaining more knowledge of the underlying chunks.</li>
<li>Extrinsic load. It is associated with the way the study material is presented. Use a goal-free approach by first playing with the parts.</li>
<li>Germane load. It is the effort you have to make to construct integrated chunks of information from the concepts in your study material.</li>
</ul>

Cognitive load: Understanding learning difficulties

Anxiety is a major cause of cognitive load. Instead of your working memory focusing on the task at hand, your short-term memory is filled with irrelevant information. i.e. maths is hard; I hate math; I want to give up.
<ul>
<li>The effect that anxiety has on your performance depends on the beliefs you have about it. If you believe math anxiety will help you perform better, then your performance will not be impacted.</li>
<li>Reframe your mindset to excitement. "I'm excited."</li>
</ul>

Turn anxiety into excitement

Working Memory

From the moment we are born, we are always learning new skills. We see it in formal capacities in school or on the job, and informally, like learning from you buddy how to grill a steak.
However, learning is a skill that we can improve upon. The growing number of self-taught professionals is a testament to that.

Improvement with learning

“One skill you want to master in this day and age we live in, if you want to have an extraordinary life, is the ability to learn rapidly.”

Be very selective in the skill you're trying to masker to avoid sabotaging your success:
<ul>
<li>Make sure it's applicable: The perfect skill either solves a problem you have or scratches an itch you have.</li>
<li>Be very specific: Specific goals are easier to pursue than vague counterparts. To set yourself up, narrow your skill down as much as possible. Ask what specific problem are you trying to solve, and find out what aspects you find most fascinating.</li>
<li>Make sure you love the process, not just the outcome: Pick a skill where the road is as exciting as the outcome. Then plan out celebration points along the way.</li>
</ul>

Select your skill carefully

In school, your teachers worked out a lesson plan and made sure you were aiming in the right direction. When you're teaching yourself, you have to do it yourself.
<ul>
<li>Deconstruct and select: Every skill can be broken down into pieces. Find out what are the minimal learnable segments you should start with for success and focus on that first.</li>
<li>Find a mentor: If you're unfamiliar with a skill, you may not know what is worth learning from the start. Find a mentor to help you.</li>
<li>Stop learning and start doing: Once you know the basics, put them into practice wherever you can.</li>
</ul>

Choosing your own direction

To save the time of both of you, consider asking your mentor these questions:
<ul>
<li>Thinking back to when you were just getting started, what parts of your skill were the most frustrating to learn?</li>
<li>Which of those do you use on a daily/weekly basis, and which have you forgotten?</li>
<li>What parts of your skill did you worry about the most when you were getting started that you now feel are unnecessary?</li>
<li>When looking at other experts in your field, what specific capabilities help you distinguish experts from non-experts?</li>
</ul>

Questions to ask a mentor

To make it count, practice deliberately. Focus on specific elements and work on them until they improve.
Don't go all out, dedicating every waking moment to your new passion. Pace yourself. You will not only avoid burnout by spreading out your training, but you will also increase your performance.

Not all practice is created equally

Feedback is vitally important to evaluate how well you're doing and to identify areas for improvement. Faster feedback is always better.
<ul>
<li>Share work publicly: Even if it feels scary, sharing your work is essential for improvement.</li>
<li>Be very specific: Pick a particular element and ask for direct feedback.</li>
<li>Ask for negative feedback: "What is one aspect that could be improved?"</li>
<li>Don't make it about you: It's helpful to remove yourself from the question when asking for feedback. "What is the one thing I could've done" makes the feedback more personal and may make the person hesitant to give critical feedback.</li>
</ul>

Tighten feedback loops

You could follow all the advice, but if you give up after two days, you won't make progress.
<ul>
<li>Make a plan: When exactly are you going to practice?</li>
<li>Tell others about it…maybe: State your goal as a commitment rather than moving towards the finished product. The former commits you to an attitude while the second may indicate that you've already taken steps, which may cause you to slow down.</li>
<li>Join a group: Groups are very motivating and make you more likely to persevere.</li>
</ul>

Stick to your practice

With more and more self-taught professionals (developers, musicians, designers), it's clear learning a new skill can change your life. Here's how to do it.

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Habits

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Time Management

How to Learn A New Skill: A Real-World Guide to Mastering Anything

We normally think of wellbeing as physical and mental health. But another way to think about our wellbeing is in terms of knowledge - known as our epistemic wellbeing.
Knowledge affects our ability to navigate the world and accomplish our goals. Epistemic wellbeing is the sense that you'll be able to know what you want and need to know for your life to proceed well. If you have access to good sources of information and understand how to get your questions answered, you have a high degree of epistemic wellbeing.

Epistemic wellbeing

<ul>
<li>Access to truths. It is the basis of epistemic wellbeing.</li>
<li>Access to trustworthy sources of information. The internet gives access to much information, but it is only useful if we can separate the truths from the falsehoods.</li>
<li>Opportunities to participate in productive dialogue. It is not enough to just passively receive information. The things we want to know about are often complex, and understanding requires more than just a one-off answer. Discussions also lead to new questions and interests.</li>
</ul>

Three components of epistemic wellbeing

The amount of false and misleading information we're exposed to by traditional and social media could make us feel like we don't have good access to truths. The rise of conspiratorial thinking - where people are willing to believe wild theories, is another aspect that contributes to our decreased sense of epistemic wellbeing. 
In trying to address the epistemic crisis, many feel unable to engage in dialogue and find alternative opportunities to do so, resulting in more extreme views.

The epistemic crisis

<ul>
<li>We're told to double-check the information online and to look for indications that our sources are trustworthy,</li>
<li>It's perhaps worthwhile to develop a habit of auditing one's epistemic habits. Consider how you acquire information: Is it likely to lead you to the truth, or is it telling you things you want to hear?</li>
</ul>

How to deal with the epistemic crisis

There’s more to wellbeing than physical and mental health: we also need epistemic wellbeing, or good access to knowledge

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Communication

The antidote to fake news is to nourish our epistemic wellbeing | Psyche Ideas

Research suggests placing self-imposed limitations can boost creativity. 
It forces your brain to come up with creative solutions to finish a project around the parameters you’ve set.

Restrict yourself

Instead of thinking of a cut-and-dry end goal to certain situations, creative people sit back and examine the problem in different ways before beginning to work.If you find yourself stagnating by focusing on generic problems, try to re-conceptualize the problem by focusing on a more meaningful angle.For example: Instead of thinking “What would be something cool to paint?” rather ask, “What sort of painting evokes the feeling of loneliness that we all encounter after a break-up?”

Re-conceptualize the problem

Creating “psychological” distance may be useful for breaking through a creative block.
Try to imagine your creative task as being disconnected and distant from your current position/location - this may make the problem more accessible and can encourage higher level thinking.

Create psychological distance

Daydreaming and incubation are most effective on a project you’ve already invested a lot of creative effort into.
Incorporating breaks into your work-flow can increase your chance to come up with creative solutions to problems.

Daydream, and then get back to work

Research suggests that reading/experiencing something absurd or surreal can help boost pattern recognition and creative thinking.

Embrace something absurd

We are often in two very different states of mind when <ul><li>absorbing an activity and </li><li>when we are trying to create something.</li></ul>Turn off your “work mode” and consume more inspiration in the form of reading, watching, and observing.

Separate work from consumption

From a new study on creativity in the workplace:
Creativity increased when both positive and negative emotions were running high. Next time you’re in a strong emotional state, try to sit down and focus that energy on creating something.

Create during a powerful mood

Exercise can actually boost creative thinking due to its ability to get the heart pumping and put people in a positive mood.If you’re stuck in a creative rut and want to take a break, try including exercise.

Get moving

Looking at a situation that has already occurred and asking yourself, “What could have happened?” can boost creativity for short periods of time.According to an analysis by Jeremy Dean:<ul><li>Analytical problems are best tackled with thinking about what could have been taken away from the situation.</li><li>Expansive problems benefited most from thinking about what could have been added to the situation.</li></ul>

Ask “What might have been?”

<ul><li>Role mismatch.</li><li>Too much/too narrow end-goal restriction. </li><li>Strict ration of resources, including insufficient time.</li><li>Lack of group diversity produces less creative results.</li><li>Discouragement. Too much criticism, endless evaluation and negative comments.</li><li>No positive feedback. Praise and positive feedback are essential for creative people, who thrive on having their ideas impact the lives of others.</li></ul>

How to Kill Creative Thinking

When it comes to creativity, one of our biggest concerns is usually how we can be more creative, or come up with better ideas. Research in this area is all over the place, but I've gathered some of the most practical studies out there to help you utilize specific techniques that can boost your creativity.

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