Sometimes we stop our stories because something happens we didn't expect,
we're surprised.
So that is another que to creativity. >> Some of the most
famous creative insights came about as the result of a surprise.
So people have a particular perspective but they may encounter information or
other perspectives that completely change their point of view and
I think that there are many famous examples,
but we can point to one in particular which was the invention of Teflon.
So the story goes in 1938 Roy Plunkett was a scientist with DuPont and
he was working on ways to make refrigerators more home friendly.
By searching for ways to replace the current refrigerant,
which was primarily made of ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and propane.
After opening the container on one particular sample he had been developing,
Plunkett found his experimental gas had completely dissipated and
all that was left was this strange,
slippery resin that was resistant to extreme heat and chemicals.
In the 1940s, this material was actually used by the Manhattan Project that
was busy developing nuclear weapons.
A decade later, it found its way into the automotive industry, but
it wasn't until the 1960s that Teflon would be used for its most noted
application, which is non-stick cookware. >> Right,
sometimes we're moving forward with our existing perspectives and
surprises happen right? >> [LAUGH]
>> And
then that can cue us to the possibility of creativity and so
I think one starting point to think about is why do surprises happen?
What does it mean?
I mean it sounds like an obvious question. >> [LAUGH]
>> But if we think about it more deeply
it's not obvious why I react with surprise in a given situtaion.
>> No absolutely,
I mean two main reasons, right?
So the first reason we experience surprise is
we have to remember our perspectives are limited, right?
We don't think of every possibility,
we can't have all knowledge brought to bearing in every situation.
So, a perspective is a limited view on what's going on.
And as soon as you have a limited view of what's going on, something may pop up
that's beyond the view, right. >> [LAUGH]
>> So
partly it's a matter of just ordinary thinking.
The limits of our little poor brains mean that things are going to happen that
are beyond what we've brought into our perspective in the first place.
And then, the second piece is, the world changes, right.
You know so chance happens, things occur that you didn't expect,
didn't predict, couldn't have known about etc.
So those are reasons why the world doesn't fit your prospective and
that means, what's going off right?
A surprise. >> And so if we live in a world that
never changes right? >> That never happens right?
Clearly something we have to grapple with, so why did then,
does that surprise response prompt change?
What's the underlying process there? >> Mostly it's a desire to understand.
Right so I didn't expect that.
And what does that mean?
So, if you're surprised it means,
my perspective just failed me. >> Right.
>> So surprise is, another name for
surprise in the academic literature is expectation failure.
Yeah. >> Right.
Your perspective led you to have an expectation.
>> I prefer the term surprise myself.
[LAUGH] >> [LAUGH] And
that expectation failed. >> Yeah.
>> No, surprise is much
better. >> Yeah.
>> But I think that gives you
an indication that we don't want a world where we don't know what's going on, where
we can't explain what's happening, right? >> Right.
>> That's incredibly scary and
anxiety provoking, right?
We want to have some sense of being able to have an understanding of what's
happening around us.
So, when we're surprised it means, hey you gotta learn something because you didn't
predict this. >> Yeah, and
it's interesting that, I mean I think again we see a fork in the road.
You could reach for
really superficial explanations. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah.
>> To dismiss the surprise and move on,
right, and not change. >> Right.
>> Or you could engage in
deeper thinking, right? >> Yeah.
>> And I guess that would be again,
motivated by curiosity and your genuine desire to understand things.
>> Absolutely.
Yeah, yeah, the computer just does funny things.
Like, well. >> Right.
>> So you can just ignore it right and
explain away. >> Which would be superstitious learning
or you just try and you reach for these superficial
explanations that allow you to preserve your sense that you know what's going on.
But it doesn't
really lead you to deeper thinking. >> That's right.
You preserve your persepctive instead
of changing it. >> Right.
So how do we avoid that?
Actually use surprise to our advantage?
How do we? >> Yeah.
Use it. >> Well, oddly,
the thing that really struck me when we were thinking about this,
Jeffrey LoewensteinAssociate Professor of Organizational Behavior
Jack GoncaloProfessor
