Understanding How the Mind Works: The Neuroscience of Perception, Behavior, and Creativity

Abstract

The understanding of the inner workings of the mind are relevant to enhance curriculum achievements, therefore optimizing the professional practice in general and of the arts and design in particular. The recent birth of neuroscience as a transdisciplinary field poses a challenge to the curriculum and is yet to be included as an integral part of its core. The lessons taught by #TheDress viral Internet phenomenon are here discussed with the intention of enlightening the urgency of a popularization of neuroscience knowledge, from daily life to the professional practice, as a tool to explain how context and experience influence our perception. Along the same lines, the section “The Roots of Human Behavior” addresses the fundamental concept of human behavior and how our emotions were built by our genes, helping us understand basic and complex human choices. Finally, the section “The Neuroscience of Creativity” discusses the neural basis of creativity and its relation to intelligence by dissecting what neuroscience already knows about the development of creativity and how the work environment could foster creativity. The discussion of these topics in this chapter aims to enlighten readers of the importance of neuroscience knowledge in the curriculum and how the arts and design practices can benefit society to become more tolerant.