How Caffeine Can Cramp Creativity

Maria Konnikova, The New Yorker:

Science is only beginning to unravel the full complexity behind different forms of creative accomplishment; creativity is notoriously difficult to study in a laboratory setting, and the choice of one approach over another limits the way that creativity can be measured. Still, we do know that much of what we associate with creativity—whether writing a sonnet or a mathematical proof—has to do with the ability to link ideas, entities, and concepts in novel ways. This ability depends in part on the very thing that caffeine seeks to prevent: a wandering, unfocussed mind.

My name is Jeremy and I am a caffeine fiend. I recently gave up sodas, only to replace them with coffee and tea. It has reached a point that I need caffeine. Need. And I fulfill that need in gross excess.

I’m not very happy with the state of my addiction. So as an experiment, I am giving up caffeine starting July 1st.¹ I’ll let you know how it goes.