"How is it that people would rather burn in a house than run out into the street without pants?" Harald Welzer (a social psychologist from Germany) once asked. The answer to this very interesting question is certainly not that people were irrational or crazy. Instead, this episode shows that, from a certain perspective, something very understandable, almost normal, is happening here. But it also becomes clear why, precisely for this reason, good improvisation is so difficult in time-critical and dangerous situations. Find out why.

In Apollo 13, the crew's motto became: “We are improvising a new mission.” In the film Cast Away, survival depended entirely on improvisation—until the protagonist gradually developed routines and skills through repetition: hunting, fishing, making fire. “We have to improvise”—a phrase we often hear when something doesn’t go as planned, when a part is missing, when systems fail. It’s a word that surfaces often, especially in times of crisis. Now, even though most of us have an intuitive sense of what improvisation is, but: What exactly is it, what is improvisation? It’s not an easy question to answer. But one thing is certain: time plays a crucial role.

Creativity works like a marshalling yard, or: how do I remove a spider from a wall, which is a real emergency for some? By using a drinking glass as a spider transport device. All this is nothing more than a core strategy of creativity. This shift from a glass into a new context (or you can also say: category) is driven by recognizing similarities and intentionally reimagining their purpose. It's exactly this kind of thinking that allows us to find unexpected solutions in moments of crisis – that’s what makes it such an essential tool when things go wrong.

Analogical thinking and its allies, or: who or what invented Wilson? A strong connection between analogical thinking, aesthetic perception, emotion, and memory came into play, helping the stranded man create a companion. Chuck's own contribution at the crucial moment? A minimal correction...and...distance.

In both Cast Away and Apollo 13, the protagonists had to rely on the arsenal of on-board resources. This podcast explores that concept—a term that comes into play when facing sudden emergencies or extraordinary situations. The *arsenal of on-board resources* can vary dramatically from one situation to another. The term also highlights how unpredictable these situations are. You never know when or where you’ll be forced to rely solely on what’s immediately available to you—whether that’s a piece of information, a household item, or a creative idea sparked by necessity. But how can we prepare for an unexpected situation that forces us to work creatively with whatever happens to be available—especially when we have no control over what those resources might be?

Wilson, the volleyball – a makeshift companion from the film Cast Away – demonstrates basic mechanisms of creative thinking. It is this similarity that not only allows one to build a provisional air filter made from cardboard and socks, but also helps with repurposing items and solving problems.

A sock, some cardboard - after the failed Apollo 13 moon mission from 1970, a number of improvisations and provisional solutions saved the lives of the three crew members and brought them back to earth. What mechanisms of creativity are behind it and where is the connection to everyday situations?