March 2023

In this edition of Inflexion Point, we look at if babies are born with an innate sense of numbers, what type of eating makes you more creative, if gamified training really works, the anatomy of creative problem solving, and how China is cracking down on the TikTok addiction.  

I sincerely hope you find something of interest to you. 

Babies Are Born with an Innate Number Sense

Are we born with a sense of numbers, or do we pick it up. Plato was among the first in the Western tradition to propose that humans have innate mathematical abilities. Latest research suggests that children learn to count by mapping the number words in their language onto an innate system of preverbal counting that humans share with many other animals. Perhaps formal schooling isn't necessary for humans or animals to learn to count. Just as children can perceive and discriminate distances long before they can think about them precisely, they have the ability to represent numbers before they learn to count in language and think of numbers precisely. (Source: Scientific American)

Can Eating Make Us More Creative?

Here's a research that investigates the effect eating, as one of the most multisensory of all human behaviors, has on our creativity. Food impacts creativity in multiple ways - visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory- and each can have a significant effect on our divergent and convergent thinking abilities. The greater the complexity the food offers, in terms of the process of discovery, the higher its impact on creativity. Like drinking tea can engage multiple senses, all at once -- smell, taste, color, heat, etc. Similarly, unfamiliar food can be a great source to elicit novel responses. (Source: NCBI)

Does Gamified Training Get Results?

A recent study by KPMG suggests that gamification of learning programs are effective when lessons are conducted carefully and over time, incorporating elements such as progression through challenges and levels, instant feedback, points, and competition. Equally important is for leaders to engage in the program visibly. For employees, playing should be viewed as a legitimate part of work, not as a break from it. As for measurement, organizations should set officewide performance goals rather than define success by how much the least-engaged employees improve. (Source: HBR)

Anatomy of Creative Problem Solving

Creative problem solving is one of the most enduring skills of all times. It was relevant a century ago and would be so in the 22nd century as well. And yet our approach to problem solving remains less than disciplined. This piece offers a robust model of problem solving, called the Perma Fix, as against the Quick Fix. Here a symptom is investigated to unearth the set of problems and thereon to root causes. Key insight is to understand that every problem is a mere symptom, there are always multiple root causes at play, and that solving a problem is not same as creating a solution. (Source: Medium)

How China takes extreme measures to keep teens off TikTok

In 2022, teens spent on average 103 minutes per day on TikTok, beating Snapchat (72 minutes) and YouTube (67). Recently, TikTok announced that it’s setting a 60-minute default time limit per day for users under 18. To avoid misuse, every account is linked to the user’s real identity, and the company says facial recognition tech is used to monitor the creation of livestream content. Censoring is very prevalent in China. For instance, people under 18 in China are allowed to play video games only between 8 and 9 p.m. on weekends and holidays. Gaming companies are punished for violations. Can this be done in India? (Source: MIT Tech Review)