Can you think of 10 creative ways to use scissors?
If you’re like most people, you probably can barely think of a couple ways to use scissors that aren’t to cut something.
When we use objects for a specific purpose, our brain associates them with that activity and freezes if it has to find other unusual and more original functions. The same thing happens in our daily lives, when we get carried away by habits and routines or when we see a person from a single perspective. Without realizing it, functional fixity limits our life, a life that changes constantly, so it requires great flexibility to adapt, avoid trauma and take advantage of opportunities.
What does the candle problem teach us?
Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias that affects our ability to be creative and flexible. In the context of problem solving, it refers to the inability to think outside established limits and come up with original solutions. But in a broader context it is used to refer to people who are too attached to habits and customs who lack the flexibility to adapt to changes.
The concept of functional fixity was coined around 1935 by Gestalt therapist Karl Duncker. During his studies on cognition and problem solving, he noted that while functional fixity is a necessary cognitive and perceptual skill, in some cases it hinders problem solving and stifles creativity.
Later, in 1945, he developed the famous “sail problem”. In the experiment, he asked participants to figure out how to fix a candle to a cork wall and light it without the wax dripping onto the table below. To do this they had a box of matches and drawing pins. Obviously, they had to fix the problem as quickly as possible.
Many people tried creative solutions without success, like trying to stick the candle to the wall. Others melted the end of the candle and tried to stick it to the wall. Only a few discovered the solution: empty the box of thumbtacks, stick the empty box to the cork wall with some thumbtacks, and place the candle upright inside the box before lighting it.
From this experiment, Duncker deduced that people have difficulty solving a problem when an object has a fixed function, which must be modified to find an optimal solution. In this case, the people who succeeded realized that the box was not only a container for the pins, but could also act as a candle holder to collect the wax that dripped from the lit candle.
Interestingly, when Duncker repeated the experiment placing thumbtacks outside the box, more people discovered the solution. Changing a simple detail reduced functional fixity by helping people see things from a larger, more creative perspective.
The terrible effects of functional fixity in our lives
Functional fixedness negatively affects our ability to creatively solve problems, innovate, and adapt to change. This bias makes us see the situation or problem from only one point of view, limiting our flexibility, which is why it becomes an obstacle to finding new solutions and developing different perspectives.
In the long run, this fixity limits our ability to recognize alternative approaches, limits our possibilities, and can doom us to stumble over the same stone over and over again, causing us much frustration. In fact, functional fixity can manifest itself in any area of our life, from the professional to our relationships.
In reality, functional fixity is bad for our relationships. When we get used to seeing a person in a certain way, we lock them into a role and attribute certain characteristics to them, which is why it is usually more difficult to deal with conflicts and discrepancies. When the perspective with which we look at a person is too narrow, we can even go so far as to mock them, which limits our ability to empathize and understand them, especially when they do not behave in a way consistent with the preconceived ideas we have about them.
But functional fixity isn’t just about people. This bias can also be seen on a societal level, in which case it has systemic effects. When mental rigidity becomes the norm, it impedes innovation, condemning societies to immobility and passivity. It also becomes an obstacle to solving the most pressing problems because it pushes the different groups that make it up to maintain the status quo and do things as they have always been done. This takes us into a downward social spiral.
Why is functional fixity generated?
We can all fall into the trap of functional fixity, but this cognitive bias tends to strengthen as we get older. A study conducted at the University of Essex, for example, found that 5-year-olds did not show the first signs of functional fixity when solving problems. However, by age 7 children were already used to seeing objects as if they were meant to be used in one way and not another, which paved the way for functional fixedness.
Young people have some initial immunity to this bias due to their lack of experience, which allows them to be more creative in finding solutions. In fact, functional fixedness has been shown to consolidate as we gain more problem-solving experience.
Ironically, the more we practice finding solutions to a problem, the harder it will be for us to come up with alternative or more creative solutions. While we are aware that our traditional method for solving a problem may not be as effective, we are still tempted to use the same approach simply because we are familiar with those strategies and are too lazy to explore other avenues.
How to overcome functional fixity?
As with many cognitive biases, functional fixedness can appear at any time and affect different areas of our lives. To overcome it, we must make a conscious effort.
The first step in overcoming functional fixity is to become aware of the problem and make it as simple as possible. By removing the irrelevant details we can think more creatively about the solution.
For example, if we want to transplant a plant, functional fixity will immediately lead us to look for a pot, but if we don’t find it, we will get stuck. If instead we abstract the problem, so as not to think we need a vase but an object that can contain a plant, a new world of possibilities opens up.
Indeed, it is important to frame the problem correctly and not to judge or dismiss ideas that come to mind too soon, however far-fetched they may seem, because they could contain the seed of a solution. The key is to broaden the perspective on the different factors involved in the situation we face. In the candle problem, for example, you just stop thinking of the box of thumbtacks as a container of thumbtacks and start seeing it simply as a container. When we manage to go beyond the concrete and functional level, our horizon widens.
To overcome functional fixedness we should also look for inspiration in unexpected places. When we move into domains seemingly unrelated to the original problem, we are more likely to find creative solutions by mixing ideas or simply allowing the mind to relax and think more freely. Looking in other directions will always broaden our perspective, allowing us to be more original and creative in all areas of life.