Is imagination a muscle? A hallmark book seeks to teach readers the ways of the creative mind. For its writer, imaginative genius is something any of us can have — if only we train hard enough.
How to win friends and have more good ideas
Is imagination a muscle? A hallmark book seeks to teach readers the ways of the creative mind. For its writer, imaginative genius is something any of us can have - if only we train hard enough.
Many of our earliest myths warn against the subversiveSeeking to disrupt a long established system., dangerous power of imagination.
The ancient Greek TitanA family of giants in Greek mythology, used today to describe a person or thing that is very strong or important. Prometheus - whose name means "forethought" - was said to have defied the gods by stealing fire and giving it to humanity, allowing them to develop new knowledge and to encroach on the power of the gods.
His gift, read by many today as the gift of imagination or innovation, led to a hefty punishment of eternal torment from the enraged deities.1
Similarly, in the biblical myth of the Tower of Babel, the BabyloniansAn ancient Akkadian-speaking state located in southern Mesopotamia. It was south of present-day Baghdad, Iraq. imagine building a mighty tower "with its top in the heavens". They are struck down by YahwehThe Hebrew word for the self-revealed name of God in the Old Testament. , who scatters them across the world and gives them different languages so that they cannot understand each other, punishing them for their lofty aspirations.
The Hebrew word for imagination, "yetser", shares a root with "yetsirah", meaning creation. Imagination is at the centre of human creation - but it can also be a dangerous tool of hubrisArrogance. In Greek tragedy, hubris is the key flaw that brings disaster to humans., caution the tales.
We have come a long way from these origin stories. In his hallmark book, writer Albert Read describes imagination as a "valve easing the crush of reality", as well as a skill that can transform the world, bring personal success, and make you feel closer to others.
And he is optimistic that any of us can master it. Much like you might use progressive overload in the gym to develop your biceps, Read says that imagination is one of the body's strongest muscles, one which you can grow only with consistent exercise and training.
Read also has some more commonplace advice for enhancing your imagination. He advises taking a walk, reading widely and with pleasure, or sitting in on a religious service - the method used, apparently, by the inventor of the Post-it Note.
And it is tempting to believe him. Read, the managing director of Conde Nast which oversees a number of prominent businesses such as Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair, appears to be a model of success. But his thesis that imagination can be trained by anyone is controversial, challenging centuries-old dogma.
In antiquityThe ancient past, especially before the Middle Ages. , imagination was not even considered a component of one's own intellect. It was believed that new ideas and theses were a result of "inspiration", a term translated literally as being "blown into" by the gods.
During the EnlightenmentAn intellectual movement of the eighteenth Century that ruthlessly criticised religion, traditions and inherited privilege. period, imagination was regarded as superfluousUnnecessary, or more than enough. . Francis Bacon scorned it for its uselessness in the pursuit of science, seeing it as a mere "pleasure or play of wit", whilst DescartesRene Descartes was a 17th Century French philosopher, scientist and mathematician. derided it as "in no way necessary to my essence".
With Romanticism, imagination was the principal quality of the artistic genius: "the artist's feeling is his law," asserted Caspar David Friedrich. It was also a transformative force, capable of regenerating humankind and driving progress.
But imagination has rarely been viewed before as something both practically useful and egalitarianBelieving that everybody deserves equal rights and opportunities. . Many have seen creative genius as mysteriously pre-ordained. For others, imagination is associated with the long-suffering and tragic mind, not the strategic and assiduousBeing careful and persevering. one.
<h5 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper" id="question"><strong>Is imagination a muscle?</strong></h5>
Yes: We can train ourselves to do anything, and training the imagination is no exception. Just like with other muscles, some may have a genetic advantage, but with hard work any one of us can improve our imaginative capabilities.
No: It is in the nature of creativity that it should be spontaneous, and not carefully manufactured. You can train your intelligence to learn more ideas, but in reality it is just imitation.
Or... It is neither one thing or the other. Some are born with a greater propensity for imagination and may not need to train it, but it is important to appreciate that even if you are not naturally imaginative, everything is not lost!
Subversive - Seeking to disrupt a long established system.
Titan - A family of giants in Greek mythology, used today to describe a person or thing that is very strong or important.
Babylonians - An ancient Akkadian-speaking state located in southern Mesopotamia. It was south of present-day Baghdad, Iraq.
Yahweh - The Hebrew word for the self-revealed name of God in the Old Testament.
Hubris - Arrogance. In Greek tragedy, hubris is the key flaw that brings disaster to humans.
Antiquity - The ancient past, especially before the Middle Ages.
Enlightenment - An intellectual movement of the eighteenth Century that ruthlessly criticised religion, traditions and inherited privilege.
Superfluous - Unnecessary, or more than enough.
Descartes - Rene Descartes was a 17th Century French philosopher, scientist and mathematician.
Egalitarian - Believing that everybody deserves equal rights and opportunities.
Assiduous - Being careful and persevering.
How to win friends and have more good ideas

Glossary
Subversive - Seeking to disrupt a long established system.
Titan - A family of giants in Greek mythology, used today to describe a person or thing that is very strong or important.
Babylonians - An ancient Akkadian-speaking state located in southern Mesopotamia. It was south of present-day Baghdad, Iraq.
Yahweh - The Hebrew word for the self-revealed name of God in the Old Testament.
Hubris - Arrogance. In Greek tragedy, hubris is the key flaw that brings disaster to humans.
Antiquity - The ancient past, especially before the Middle Ages.
Enlightenment - An intellectual movement of the eighteenth Century that ruthlessly criticised religion, traditions and inherited privilege.
Superfluous - Unnecessary, or more than enough.
Descartes - René Descartes was a 17th Century French philosopher, scientist and mathematician.
Egalitarian - Believing that everybody deserves equal rights and opportunities.
Assiduous - Being careful and persevering.