Why Creative Thinkers Will Rule The 21st Century?

“Gone is the age of “left-brain” dominance. The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind…”

Daniel Pink begins his novel, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, with a blunt albeit frank truth. In A Whole New Mind, Pink theorizes on the trajectory of both societal and cultural evolution. Ultimately, Pink proposes that as society continues to modernize and globalize the need for Right-Directed, or “right-brain”, thinking will far surpass the need for Left-Directed thinking, which was far more prevalent up until recently.

Experiments studying the two hemispheres of the brain date back to Ancient Greece. Since then, as research developed, scientists agree that the human brain is comprised of ‘specialized’ areas associated with specific types of thinking. However, the brain is not so clean cut as to say “right” and “left” brain.

After a series of tests, it has long been understood that Left-Directed Thinking, commonly thought of as left brain thinking, is characterized by language, logic, and analytical thinking skills. Left-Directed thinkers are more adept to handle mathematical and logic reasoning problems.

By comparison, Right-Directed Thinking, previously thought of as right brain thinking, is more accustomed to handling expressive and creative tasks. Some common skills associated with Right-Directed thinking include interpreting emotions and effectively utilizing imagination, intuition and lateral thinking.

Left-Directed thinking was more important during the 90s, or the Information Age, as it eased the global economy’s shift towards information technology. Now decades later, technology has become so efficient that many industries can now rely on adequate, cost-effective outsourcing and automation. As a direct result from globalization, outsourcing for cheaper labor is now a common-industry practice across more than half of Fortune 500 companies. Not only has the increase in outsourcing left many unemployed, but it has also forced many already-skilled workers to learn a more relevant trade.

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Automation is continuing to increase in a number of industries as machines are now capable of effectively completing tasks commonly associated with Left-Directed thinking. Mass production jobs continue to be moved to foreign countries as fewer and fewer factories continue to run in the United States. The drastic improvement in technology has allowed for machines to outperform humans in several aspects. Often, machines are capable of doing a human’s daily work in a matter of minutes, sometimes even seconds.

Just as the world removes opportunities, it also presents opportunities in new ways. The world has grown continually material-abundant with a never-before-seen oversaturation of brands and products. While this abundance may satisfy some superficial itch, it also manifests one’s need for self-actualization and self-realization. Pink dives into the underlying links between the rise in living conditions yet the flatlining of life satisfaction. As, when it comes down to it, the abundance seeping its way through the world may be overshadowing one’s own pursuit of purpose.

Pink’s A Whole New Mind further explains that while opportunities for Left-Directed thinking tasks are decreasing, the jobs of Right-Directed thinkers are secure as it is still difficult to automate creative tasks. The skillset associated with strong Right-Directed thinkers usually stems from individualistic experiences that vary from person to person. The dynamic of these skillsets has proven difficult to replicate through technological means. It then becomes quite clear that the purpose Pink even wrote A Whole New Mind is because he wants to raise awareness around the importance of being a Right-Directed thinker and ultimately, the one irreplaceable person.

Although it is important to be a strong Left and Right-Directed thinker to live a well-rounded life, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future is a wakeup call to improve upon already existing creativity and free-thinking skills. Pink identifies Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning as 6 skills necessary for personal and professional fulfillment.

Scientific and anecdotal evidence from cannabis users also seems to suggest enhancing creativity. Cannabis may be a method of overriding one’s natural predisposition to Right-Directed thinking. While it is important to be mindful of cannabis usage, the end result may be an increase in both creative output and lateral thinking. All in all, Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future is a necessary read for anyone looking to stand-out and conquer the world.