Inspiration : Where the Best Ideas Come From
Couldn't load pickup availability
Author: Dijksterhuis, Ap
Psychology
Published on 12 September 2025 by John Wiley and Sons Ltd (Polity Press) in the United Kingdom.
Hardback | 272 pages
239 x 181 | 539g
Inspiration propels us. It’s the basis of every accomplishment. But the idea that it simply falls into your lap is a myth. Inspiration doesn’t come to us in a gust of wind, only to disappear into the mist again. You make it happen; it’s a reward for work that you’ve already done. The combination of perspiration and inspiration takes you to where you want to go.
In this ode to what is perhaps the brain’s greatest achievement, Ap Dijksterhuis explains, with a storyteller’s verve, what inspiration is, why we have it, how it works and how to get it. Drawing upon on the most up-to-date research in neuroscience and psychology, he shows how inspiration stands in relation to creativity, motivation, curiosity and the overall functioning of the brain.
Ultimately, inspiration is not a privilege granted to a talented few: everyone who chooses inspiration will benefit from it. Including you.