Why your brain likes news of the weird

Blame it on your cortex. That's what tech guru Jeff Hawkins might say about our obsession with what we not-so-fondly refer to as "news of the weird" - those so called human interest stories that don't really affect anyone but take up a huge amount of space in print and broadcast news.

In his book On Intelligence (2004), Hawkins explains how the thin sheet of cells that make up our cortex determines what we know and what we perceive. It's all based on patterns, he writes, and if something doesn't match that pattern - we notice.

"Several times a second ... your brain makes a prediction about what it will see next. When that prediction is wrong, your attention is immediately aroused." - Jeff Hawkins, On Intelligence

So that's why stories about bizarre crimes, traffic accidents and human oddities sell. We're noticing things that are unpredicted or out of place.

Creativity results from unpredictability as well but in a different sense. Hawkins explains that creativity happens when artists mix the expected with a hint of the unexpected:

"There is a contradictory tension in what makes a work of art great. We want art to be familiar yet at the same time to be unique and unexpected."

Creative writers (think Shakespeare) will use metaphors or analogies to what's familiar to get our attention.

Should journalists go for the easy sell or the more nuanced approach? Both will get noticed but one takes a lot more work.

For more on Jeff Hawkins' brain theory - check out this video on TED on how brain science could change computing. It's interesting - and creative!