How many ideas is too many ideas?

[Snao Cone]

Two angles to this question:

 

1) How much knowledge and creativity can we have stored in our brain before the potential for quality use of them drops? Like, should we be discouraging thinking up too many things because it may lead to neglecting the better ones? Quality over quantity?

 

2) What is a socially acceptable number of ideas when it comes to sharing them? (e.g. at what point does it come across as a negative trait in a person)

[Morays]

7 minutes ago, The First Snaoël said:

Two angles to this question:

 

1) How much knowledge and creativity can we have stored in our brain before the potential for quality use of them drops? Like, should we be discouraging thinking up too many things because it may lead to neglecting the better ones? Quality over quantity?

 

2) What is a socially acceptable number of ideas when it comes to sharing them? (e.g. at what point does it come across as a negative trait in a person)

1) This question implies that quality and quantity are mutually exclusive or inherently at odds with each other, which I'm not necessarily convinced is the case. Generally, for any big project, I find that starting with a lot of ideas and methodically whittling them down and fleshing out what remains is what leads to higher quality results. You can't really use the creative free-association part of your brain that generates new ideas and the exacting editorial part of your brain that shapes them at the same time -- at least in my own experience -- but you absolutely need them both.

 

2) I'd say this is extremely context-dependent. I can't just throw out a number.

 

3) Adding a third point for quantity, because three does feel better than two.

[Guest]

 

[Snao Cone]

4 minutes ago, Morays said:

I can't just throw out a number.

No, because numbers are abstract concepts which don't stay in trash cans very well.

[blunose2772]

It's about quality of ideas than quantity

[fragglerock]

1. I've had neuroscience and psychology as interests for a long time, with a particularly large amount of reading and thinking on the topics of idea creation, recognition, management, etc. Like Morays said, the associational nature of our minds means that that quantity and quality don't seem to oppose each other.

 

I think what matters is the organization and management of the ideas. If someone just thinks up a lot of ideas and doesn't even try to think of good ones, like just random word association, then that's what will be floating around in short and long-term memory. And that's what the brain will pull from for association and inspiration. Which is better than nothing but not very fertile ground for new ideas. (But can sometimes be valuable just for increasing variability and maybe seeing things from new angles.) But if someone aims to think of ideas they see as quality, and spends time thinking about connections between the ideas, differences and similarities, etc, then all of that forms rich ground for even more ideas.

 

2. Context obviously matters a lot. If it's a personal blog then someone can share as much as they like, more or less, though maybe they want a separate place for a "highlight reel" and "everything". If someone doesn't want to see/hear that content, but is looking at or listening to it anywhere, that's basically their problem.

 

In social settings it seems to vary a lot by group and situation. I try to only provide the ideas etc that I think people will get the most out of, and then gauge how well received those ideas were. If people seem uninterested I pull back.

[Tetus]

10 hours ago, The First Snaoël said:

Two angles to this question:

 

1) How much knowledge and creativity can we have stored in our brain before the potential for quality use of them drops? Like, should we be discouraging thinking up too many things because it may lead to neglecting the better ones? Quality over quantity?

 

2) What is a socially acceptable number of ideas when it comes to sharing them? (e.g. at what point does it come across as a negative trait in a person)

1) 2.

 

2) 1.

[Snao Cone]

1 minute ago, Epoch Tetus said:

1) 2.

 

2) 1.

Thank you. Finally some solid answers.

[Unleash the Echidnas]

50 minutes ago, Epoch Tetus said:

1) 2.

 

2) 1.

3) 3?

 

I've had the idea for this question since reading the first post. Hopefully it's socially acceptable to share it.

[what the face]

Like on this forum.

 

How many topics can one initiate without risk of neglecting the better ones or risk being seen negatively ?

 

    written as one who rarely starts

    topics here 

 

Or,

How many topics can one respond to

while ignoring topics that might be aided by input?

 

     written by one whose own posts          
     seem to often stifle topics here

 

 

            (silence  might  follow)

 

[Calligraphette_Coe]

14 hours ago, The First Snaoël said:

Two angles to this question:

 

1) How much knowledge and creativity can we have stored in our brain before the potential for quality use of them drops? Like, should we be discouraging thinking up too many things because it may lead to neglecting the better ones? Quality over quantity?

I don't think you can give a number-- because it depends on the brain. Einstein proved that bigger isn't better- his brain was only of average size. Too, there are people with eidetic memories who aren't geniuses. I know for myself, the number is pretty much self-limiting. Many neuroscientists think that the human brain is the size and capabilies stem from our evolution as a social species and for most people, the number of people they can remember and engate with in the short term is limited to about 150 other souls.

 

Myself, at one point in my life I had what approached an eidetic memory. Three cerebral strokes later, the first at 28, I find it is a shadow of its former self. THat's why I keep notebooks- lots of them! The paper never forgets, and I can catalogue them in way that is like bread crumbs-- that going down one trail, I can find the bread crumbs and remember that I' ve been down this one before.

 

Ideas are like seeds. They don't grow if they don't fall on fertile ground. That, and they are fragile and can easily blow away in the breeze. Or, the storms of which stressful lives seem to have their foundations laid upon.

 

 

14 hours ago, The First Snaoël said:

 

2) What is a socially acceptable number of ideas when it comes to sharing them? (e.g. at what point does it come across as a negative trait in a person)

Where does one draw the line between brilliant converstations and pedantry? I think that graph is different for everyone-- it's on that axis you'll find the number. To the well balanced empath, they set up their own annular confinement beams.

[Rockblossom]

1.  It varies from person to person because people's brains have different abilities.  Some  brains can handle a lot of ideas simultaneously even when some are contradictory;  some can only handle them a few at a time;  and some people end up in analysis paralysis if they have to deal with too many things at once.  I once had a job that required us to be aware and able to immediately respond to 9-10 different things at any time, with multiple things happening at once.  Some new people were able to do it easily, and some just couldn't and had to be transferred out before they had a nervous breakdown.  It had nothing to do with IQ, education, or knowledge of individual tasks.  I've known a couple of highly intelligent people who had trouble shopping in  big stores/supermarkets because there were just too many choices.

 

2. Situational.  I can enjoy someone throwing out multiple odd/original/goofy ideas in a relaxed social setting.  But when I'm trying to do work on something that needs my attention, I don't need someone near me doing: "See the game yesterday? Great , huh? Ever thought about what the world would be like if we were all born with tails?  Wouldn't that be great?  Wouldn't it?  Whatcha doin' there?  Is it important?  Can I help?  Why are you frowning?  You never smile!  You should smile more.  What should we have for lunch?  I know!  We should order ..."  The monologue ends there because the speaker is running from an irritated colleague wielding a metal folding chair.

[Guest]

Occam's Razor, you only need the simplest idea. Any additional ideas are too many.

/shitpost

[Sally]

19 hours ago, Epoch Tetus said:

1) 2.

 

2) 1.

I disgree.

 

1)  57.

 

2)  0.

[daveb]

7 hours ago, Sally said:

57

The Heinz number?  

[SorryNotSorry]

To dimbulbs, any idea is one too many.

[Sally]

10 hours ago, daveb said:

The Heinz number?  

Nope, Grothendieck prime.  

[daveb]

I guess I'll take Exit 57 then.  

[Sally]

I wish I still had the 57 Chevy I once had.  It was beautiful, turquoise and chrome.  57 is also an angel number but I don't know why.  

[Morays]

I'm fond of my birthday, June 28th, because 6 and 28 are what's known as "perfect numbers" -- numbers that are the sum of their own divisors, except for themselves, added together. (e.g. 3, 2, and 1 all multiply to form 6, and 3 + 2 + 1 = 6.) The next one after 28 is 496; it's the only two-digit one that exists.