How your seemingly original ideas might not be original at all
May 5, 2015, 2:46 PM | Updated: 3:02 pm
We’ve all been in the situation where our seemingly original idea turns out to be anything but.
It has a name — cryptomnesia — and KIRO Radio’s Tom Tangney describes it like this: “There’s an idea kicking around in the air, you didn’t come up with the original idea, you’ve heard it and then a week or two later suddenly you come up with this great idea and it turns out that it wasn’t an original idea.”
New York Magazine’s recent article, “The Science of “Accidental” Joke-Stealing and Plagiarism,” has brought this phenomenon to the forefront, and while the more famous examples are in entertainment, like the similarity of George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” to “He’s So Fine” by The Chiffons, it’s not uncommon in the workplace.
“That’s why you have to put your name on any idea — and when you do come up with something, it’s important that the boss knows,” said John Curley.
To hear the “Tom and Curley” conversation on the topic from Tuesday morning, including tips to keep people from lifting your ideas, listen to the podcast here.
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Tune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 3pm for John Curley and Shari Elliker.
