Creativity is often chased through stimulation—drugs, brainstorms, quirky offices—but the evidence suggests that many of these shortcuts miss the mark. Substances like cannabis and psilocybin may heighten the feeling of insight without improving the quality of ideas, while corporate efforts to engineer creativity can distract more than inspire. In this episode, we explore why boredom, mental downtime, and mind-wandering during mundane tasks may be far more powerful drivers of genuine originality. The story challenges the myth that creativity must be forced, suggesting instead that the most fertile ideas emerge when we stop trying so hard to produce them.

https://www.economist.com/business/2023/01/12/how-to-unlock-creativity-in-the-workplace