Unleash your inner genius

Yes, you are brilliant! Experts say tapping into your creativity can unleash a cascade of benefits from slashing stress to boosting your can-do

From da Vinci to Einstein, history’s most celebrated minds were touched by a divine spark of genius. And we just weren’t blessed with that level of brilliance… right?

Not so fast. Research shows that the brightest among us have all relied on a handful of down-to-earth strategies that we can easily emulate to boost our creativity, problem-solving abilities and confidence. And because our brain can’t think creatively and negatively at the same time, new studies have found that intentionally unleashing our imagination stirs up a potent cocktail of positive emotions that tame anxiety, usher in calm, increase motivation and generate lasting joy.

Ironically, the first step to unlocking our inner “genius” is removing the word itself from the pedestal we tend to place it on, says psychologist R. Keith Sawyer, Ph.D., author of Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity, who admits to being a bit uncomfortable with the very term he studies. “‘Genius’ implies that these feats of the imagination are reserved for unique individuals, when the science shows that’s just not the case,” he says. “Creativity is rooted in everyday brain processes that we all have the power to develop—and tapping into those processes can be as easy as letting our minds wander or allowing ourselves to be curious about the world around us.”

Read on to learn the easy techniques history’s most inspired minds used to tap into their own creativity— and how to use your own limitless genius to outsmart stress!