Attend 2022 Annual Torrance Lecture by Angus Fletcher on Oct. 12

• Date: Wednesday, Oct. 12
• Time: 4-6 p.m.
• Location: M. Smith Griffith Auditorium, Georgia Museum of Art

Why are Children More Creative than Computer AI—Until They Go to School?

Angus Fletcher is professor of story science at The Ohio State University’s Project Narrative, the world’s leading academic institute for the study of stories. His research on how narrative can boost empathy, courage, and creativity has been called “mind-blowing” by Malcolm Gladwell and “life-changing” by Brené Brown. His most recent books are “Wonderworks” (Simon & Schuster, 2021) and “Storythinking” (Columbia University Press, 2023). His current research partners include various Fortune 50s, public schools, and U.S. Special Operations.

For decades, researchers have observed that children get less creative the longer they attend school. In this talk, I’ll explain why—and what we can do about it. I’ll reveal how children’s creativity is rooted in a neural process that cannot be reproduced by computer AI. I’ll detail my work with U.S. Special Operations to up-train that neural process in adults. I’ll present my lab’s new findings on how the training can restore creativity in elementary students. And I’ll propose that we devote less time in school to critical thinking and mindfulness—and more time to causal thinking and art.