John Kounios
@johnkounios.bsky.social
Cognitive neuroscientist researching creativity, intelligence, and other things at Drexel University. Co-author of The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain.
https://sway.cloud.microsoft/mQdXccaLZYqbOHEH?ref=Link&loc=play
https://sway.cloud.microsoft/mQdXccaLZYqbOHEH?ref=Link&loc=play
Reposted by John Kounios
Funders must recognise that great discoveries often come from studies that seeks to advance knowledge for its own sake
go.nature.com/47zrzYZ
go.nature.com/47zrzYZ
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.
go.nature.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Funders must recognise that great discoveries often come from studies that seeks to advance knowledge for its own sake
go.nature.com/47zrzYZ
go.nature.com/47zrzYZ
@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-...
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
www.scientificamerican.com
September 5, 2025 at 8:36 PM
@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-...
The Fever Dream of Imminent ‘Superintelligence’ Is Finally Breaking www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/o...
Opinion | The Fever Dream of Imminent ‘Superintelligence’ Is Finally Breaking
www.nytimes.com
September 3, 2025 at 3:47 PM
The Fever Dream of Imminent ‘Superintelligence’ Is Finally Breaking www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/o...
The Conversation is rerunning their 2024 podcast episode about our research on the neuroscience of creative flow. #flowstate #flow youtu.be/C80jDmaPFNs?...
The secret ingredients for creative flow
YouTube video by The Conversation
youtu.be
August 28, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The Conversation is rerunning their 2024 podcast episode about our research on the neuroscience of creative flow. #flowstate #flow youtu.be/C80jDmaPFNs?...
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...
@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...
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.
www.nationalgeographic.com
August 20, 2025 at 6:24 PM
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...
@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...
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.
whyy.org
June 28, 2025 at 3:37 PM
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. 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...
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.
whyy.org
June 27, 2025 at 1:13 PM
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" - Excellent coverage in Nature of research on the neuroscience of Aha moments, including our research on this phenomenon. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Eureka! The brain science behind lightbulb moments
Experiences of insight come with a burst of brain activity — and a memory boost.
www.nature.com
June 25, 2025 at 5:11 PM
"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...
Reposted by John Kounios
How old is your brain? youtu.be/6NodgGDiWB8?...
How Old Is Your Brain?
YouTube video by Drexel University
youtu.be
November 19, 2024 at 4:42 PM
How old is your brain? youtu.be/6NodgGDiWB8?...
Reposted by John Kounios
Brain-age estimation with a low-cost EEG-headset: effectiveness and implications for large-scale screening and brain optimization www.frontiersin.org/journals/neu...
Frontiers | Brain-age estimation with a low-cost EEG-headset: effectiveness and implications for large-scale screening and brain optimization
Over time, pathological, genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors can age the brain and diminish its functional capabilities. While these factors can le...
www.frontiersin.org
November 19, 2024 at 4:42 PM
Brain-age estimation with a low-cost EEG-headset: effectiveness and implications for large-scale screening and brain optimization www.frontiersin.org/journals/neu...
Honored to have given a webinar on creativity for the Defense Acquisition University. (Link to video below.) Thanks to Garry Shields of the Department of Defense's Disruptive Technologies Lab for leading the discussion. media.dau.edu/media/Eureka...
Eureka! Disruptive Discussion with Creativity Expert, John Kounios - Defense Acquisition University
media.dau.edu
May 30, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Honored to have given a webinar on creativity for the Defense Acquisition University. (Link to video below.) Thanks to Garry Shields of the Department of Defense's Disruptive Technologies Lab for leading the discussion. media.dau.edu/media/Eureka...
Having fun speaking at the Kellogg Marketing Leadership Summit. Great meeting!
May 16, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Having fun speaking at the Kellogg Marketing Leadership Summit. Great meeting!
It was a pleasure to give the keynote address on creative insight and the brain at the fabulous Kellogg Marketing Leadership Summit at Northwestern University. Great event, inspiring people!
May 14, 2025 at 2:40 PM
It was a pleasure to give the keynote address on creative insight and the brain at the fabulous Kellogg Marketing Leadership Summit at Northwestern University. Great event, inspiring people!
Reposted by John Kounios
John Kounios, Yvette Kounios (March 2025). The wonder of insight. Scientific American, 20-27.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
Before I read this; I consciously used this by exploring my problem well before going to sleep... Often 'seeing' a solution in the morning. 'Aha-Erlebnis'
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
Before I read this; I consciously used this by exploring my problem well before going to sleep... Often 'seeing' a solution in the morning. 'Aha-Erlebnis'
How ‘Aha! Moments’ Happen in the Brain and How to Invite Them In
What happens in your mind when insight strikes?
www.scientificamerican.com
April 19, 2025 at 11:10 PM
John Kounios, Yvette Kounios (March 2025). The wonder of insight. Scientific American, 20-27.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
Before I read this; I consciously used this by exploring my problem well before going to sleep... Often 'seeing' a solution in the morning. 'Aha-Erlebnis'
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
Before I read this; I consciously used this by exploring my problem well before going to sleep... Often 'seeing' a solution in the morning. 'Aha-Erlebnis'
Was Talos, the Bronze Automaton Who Guarded the Island of Crete in Greek Myth, an Early Example of Artificial Intelligence? www.smithsonianmag.com/history/was-...
Was Talos, the Bronze Automaton Who Guarded the Island of Crete in Greek Myth, an Early Example of Artificial Intelligence?
The mythical sentry was depicted as thinking like a human and showing some human-like tendencies
www.smithsonianmag.com
April 23, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Was Talos, the Bronze Automaton Who Guarded the Island of Crete in Greek Myth, an Early Example of Artificial Intelligence? www.smithsonianmag.com/history/was-...
Quoted in article about AI and human intelligence in The Guardian: www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
‘Don’t ask what AI can do for us, ask what it is doing to us’: are ChatGPT and co harming human intelligence?
Recent research suggests our brain power is in decline. Is offloading our cognitive work to AI driving this trend?
www.theguardian.com
April 22, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Quoted in article about AI and human intelligence in The Guardian: www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
The Reverse Flynn Effect -- people are getting stupid. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/o...
Opinion | The Stupidity of the Tariffs Are the Achievement of a Lifetime
Maybe we’re just not good at thinking anymore.
www.nytimes.com
April 10, 2025 at 11:53 PM
The Reverse Flynn Effect -- people are getting stupid. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/o...
Interesting thought piece about current cultural views of human intelligence, especially about and among the tech elite class. Needless to say, the so-called "tech bros" are not experts about the nature, measurement, and cultivation of human intelligence. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/05/a...
What Is Elon Musk’s IQ?
The questionable measure of intelligence has now been uncoupled from any test and loosed into the discourse to justify Silicon Valley’s power.
www.nytimes.com
April 5, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Interesting thought piece about current cultural views of human intelligence, especially about and among the tech elite class. Needless to say, the so-called "tech bros" are not experts about the nature, measurement, and cultivation of human intelligence. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/05/a...
Reposted by John Kounios
@WSJ says it's an "An incredible accomplishment." The paperback edition of our book, The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain, is now available at a temporary reduced sale price on Amazon. www.amazon.com/Eureka-Facto...
The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain
The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain [Kounios, John, Beeman, Mark, Kounios, Yvette S.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain
www.amazon.com
March 13, 2025 at 7:06 PM
@WSJ says it's an "An incredible accomplishment." The paperback edition of our book, The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain, is now available at a temporary reduced sale price on Amazon. www.amazon.com/Eureka-Facto...
@WSJ says it's an "An incredible accomplishment." The paperback edition of our book, The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain, is now available at a temporary reduced sale price on Amazon. www.amazon.com/Eureka-Facto...
The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain
The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain [Kounios, John, Beeman, Mark, Kounios, Yvette S.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain
www.amazon.com
March 13, 2025 at 7:06 PM
@WSJ says it's an "An incredible accomplishment." The paperback edition of our book, The Eureka Factor: Aha Moments, Creative Insight, and the Brain, is now available at a temporary reduced sale price on Amazon. www.amazon.com/Eureka-Facto...
Thanks to @krysboydthink for interviewing me about Aha moments and the brain for the radio program/podcast Think from KERA and @NPR. Great discussion. www.npr.org/podcasts/478...
Think
Think is a daily, topic-driven interview and call-in program hosted by Krys Boyd covering a wide variety of topics ranging from history, politics, current events, science, technology and emerging tren...
www.npr.org
March 13, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Thanks to @krysboydthink for interviewing me about Aha moments and the brain for the radio program/podcast Think from KERA and @NPR. Great discussion. www.npr.org/podcasts/478...
February 18, 2025 at 9:09 PM