Ask what a specific other person would do

Step into a named other’s perspective to access approaches you would not generate as yourself.

Why it works

Self-generated approaches are constrained by self-concept — we do not usually consider options that feel incompatible with who we are. Taking the perspective of a named other (a specific artist, a child, a competitor, a historical figure) temporarily suspends those constraints and activates different associative networks. The question is not "what would they literally do" but "what direction does imagining them open that I was not considering?"

How to do it

1. Name a specific person whose approach to this problem would be different from yours.
2. Spend 5–10 minutes generating from their perspective: what would they notice, ignore, or prioritize?
3. Extract the one element of their hypothetical approach that is most useful to your actual work.

Evidence

Perspective-taking research shows that imagining another’s viewpoint increases divergent thinking and reduces cognitive fixation. The creative version of this is the "WWXD" (What Would X Do?) technique, which has anecdotal support across creative disciplines. Polman and Emich found that people generate measurably more creative solutions when deciding on behalf of someone else than for themselves, giving the "what would X do?" move direct experimental support for a creativity gain. (mechanistic)

The cited research is on social cognition, not creative tasks specifically; the creative application is a reasonable extension of the cognitive flexibility finding.

Sources

• Galinsky & Moskowitz (2000), perspective-taking: decreasing stereotype expression, stereotype accessibility, and in-group favoritism, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology — perspective-taking and cognitive flexibility
• Galinsky, A. D., & Moskowitz, G. B. (2000). Perspective-taking: Decreasing stereotype expression, stereotype accessibility, and in-group favoritism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(4), 708-724.
• Polman, E., & Emich, K. J. (2011). Decisions for Others Are More Creative Than Decisions for the Self. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37(4), 492-501.

Common mistake

Choosing a person who thinks similarly to you rather than one whose approach is genuinely strange or orthogonal — the perspective gain is proportional to the difference from your default.