What is lateral thinking

Lateral thinking is a way of tackling problems by looking for indirect, creative solutions instead of working step by step through traditional logic. The term was coined in 1967 by the Maltese psychologist Edward de Bono.

Vertical thinking vs lateral thinking

Vertical thinking is logical and sequential: you start from a premise and walk down, one step at a time, to the conclusion. Lateral thinking, on the other hand, questions the premises themselves: it "jumps sideways" to look at the problem from a different, often unexpected angle. It does not replace logic: it completes it.

Why questioning assumptions pays off

Most reasoning mistakes come from implicit assumptions we take for granted. Lateral thinkers ask themselves: "What if the thing I am sure of isn't true?". That is exactly the heart of a lateral thinking riddle: the solution seems impossible only because we are assuming something that doesn't hold.

Lateral thinking riddles

A lateral thinking riddle — also known as a "situation puzzle" — presents a short, unsettling scene. You can only ask yes / no questions to rebuild, little by little, what really happened. You win when you reach the explanation by setting aside the most obvious reading.

What training lateral thinking is good for

Problem solving: finding solutions where the usual routes are blocked.
Creativity: generating new ideas by stepping outside patterns.
Communication: asking the right questions and reading the clues.
Fun: they are made to be played in company.

The best way to train it is… to play. On CantaStories an AI narrator answers your yes/no questions and guides you towards the hidden truth.

▶ Try a lateral thinking riddle