Lateral thinking: how does it work and how to develop it?

A step to the left, a step to the right, or a jump in place can be regarded as an attempt to escape, or it can be regarded as a transition from logical thinking to lateral thinking. It not only helps to think, but also helps to live.

The term was coined by a psychologist from the UK - a world-renowned expert on creative thinking Edward de Bono. The name comes from the English words "lateral" and "thinking", which means "directed to the side", "lateral" or "side". And so lateral thinking should help to "turn off" the usual straight path.

A structure ideally built in a project, of course, can collapse by itself, in the event of an error, for example, and here lateral thinking can also come to the rescue. It allows you to find unusual solutions for a variety of types of problems, find a non-standard type of application for familiar objects..

The British scientist proves that creativity can help not only in business, but also in personal life. To do this, you just need not to miss the thought, which sometimes comes at the most unexpected moment and which is just as soon capable of leaving you. And of course, in no case should you limit yourself... Knowledge and experience gained during life not only help, but also hinder. Once we got a sunstroke, we no longer go out in the heat without a headdress. And this is reasonable. But the fact that we stop believing in love, after having once experienced unrequited feelings, is destructive for the nervous system and for the body as a whole.

In principle, it is human nature to generalize. "All dogs are evil" - say the one who was bitten by a stray dog ​​in childhood.“All women are liars” - the teenager, deceived by a peer, is sure. Everything is still ahead, any, even the most bitter experience is only one of a million options for the development of events, everything is in our hands... This is how an individual with a pronounced ability for lateral thinking will respond to both.

We often hear that a good thought comes later. However, if you think about it, then more often we simply lose sight of it. Someone cannot clearly formulate an idea, someone is afraid of experiments, someone is not ready to hear a colleague and a loved one. As a result, banal actions lead to a dead end, although a way out was found long before that. Edward de Bono is sure - it is quite possible to avoid such situations... One of the most effective ways to do this is to take advantage of the following inventions by an Englishman.

No need to run to the hats store. These hats can be imaginary, or you can make your own in the form of cardboard caps in six colors. Anyone can try on each of them. Perhaps the same person will use them alternately, or different people will wear them. Another option is to swap hats with each other. It all depends on the purpose of using the method. The main thing is to follow the rules of colors.

• Main color - blue... The person who takes this hat for himself will have to lead the process. Listen carefully to the others, do not miss a single thought of those present and draw appropriate conclusions.
• Whoever wears the white hat gets the first word... Its part is informational. He speaks of numbers, facts, potential opportunities, and so on.
• An analyst in a white cap is assisted by the owner of a green hat... He has a creative task. His destiny is to search for unexpected ideas and alternative ways to resolve the issue.
• Little Red Riding Hood comes in next... She is full of emotions. In her speech, there are solid feelings, possibly based on intuition, as well as a desire or unwillingness to bring what was conceived to life.
• A man in a yellow hat should breathe optimism into the rest.... In his speech, there can be exclusively advantages of the embodiment of the conceived.
• After the white stripe comes black... The owner of such a hat should look at the question critically. Describe all its negative aspects, outline all the risks, difficulties that arise in solving the task, the likelihood of losses, and so on.

The motto of this method of lateral thinking can be the Russian proverb that The morning is wiser than the evening... If the solution you are looking for doesn’t want to come to mind, postpone the search for an answer. It is likely that it will appear by itself very soon. After all, even though you have postponed the task, the brain continues to work on it on its own. Therefore, it is very likely that he will give you a brilliant idea, which, with the intense work of the brain in the same direction, could not "float" to the surface.

Even if you seem to have found the perfect solution, keep looking. Put your idea aside for a moment and come up with at least one alternative.... After all, the most effective ideas can arise precisely when other, at first glance, optimal solutions are questioned. The more options the better... Do this whenever you can. This will train your brain. It will automatically act in different directions. You can teach him to do this with the help of special exercises.

If the team seems to be at an impasse, use the surprise effect... This method will be especially useful for brainstorming, when it seems that all possible proposals have been expressed, but the necessary solution has not come.

To develop lateral thinking, it is necessary to give free rein to fantasy. Give her a chance to prove herself every day, or better yet, every hour. Reading a book or watching a movie - try to come up with the ending of the work yourself... Imagine what would happen to the characters if they behaved differently. What could help them in solving any problem. Or, conversely, try to create obstacles for them. Do not be shy about what comes to mind, if it is difficult to do this with artistic images, start with magazines and photos on the Internet.

There are other exercises to increase laterality.

• Take any snapshot and come up with a story of its origin... For example, in front of you is a girl on the seashore. How she got there, with whom she is resting, what her smile means, where she will go later, and so on.
• Raise your eyes to the sky. Choose any cloud. Now determine what it looks like... This is the hero of your new story. How did the cloud appear, why did it become a horse (cat, dog, etc.)? What awaits him beyond the horizon? The stories should be the most incredible.
• Come up with a story similar to the one written by the heroes of the popular Soviet cartoon "Three from Prostokvashino"... Remember Uncle Fyodor's letter to his parents? The old wool has already flown ... and so on. Your task is to invent your own, unlike anyone else's story.

It is created according to the following rules. We take some fictitious fact as a basis. For example, a woman bought a cat before heading south. Next, you need to find the reason for the actions of the heroine. In this case, you can use only those questions that provide for an exclusively monosyllabic answer - "yes" or "no".

Perhaps the lady is afraid of getting bored on vacation or wants to give someone such a living gift before leaving. You will be surprised at how many variations of this behavior you can think of. And in this way, you will not only develop your imagination, and hence your lateral thinking, but also diversify your leisure time.

Lateral thinking is not the path to the most productive brain function. It makes the process of finding an answer to even the most difficult question entertaining and exciting. Therefore, more often let in your life a reason to dream up. Solve logic puzzles often. Find unusual uses for old unnecessary things... Take your time to throw them away. An old bucket may well become an unusual stool, and a stepladder can turn into ... Think of the best way to use it in your "next life".

Do not be afraid of even your most incredible ideas.... Talk about them out loud. Let as many people as possible hear you. It is quite possible that some of them will turn out to be more daring and ready to experiment than others, then you will acquire not only a like-minded person, but, quite possibly, a promising interesting job with a creative leader.

Be creative, experiment, don't be afraid to make mistakes... Today's mistake tomorrow may be a better idea, or at least an idea that will not make you stumble, but will be regarded as another step towards making your dream come true. By the way, you shouldn't limit yourself in them either. And then everything conceived will certainly come true. But don't forget about the traditional ways to achieve results. Lateral thinking cannot completely replace logical... This is just one of the methods, not a panacea for all ills.