Along these lines, I've often thought about the cognitive paths that could be explored or changed if I were to learn braille or sign language. Neuroscience has recently studied and given legitimacy to the state of 'Flow' or 'the Zone'[0] which has been long been understood in the physical realm, but is probably the same or similar in states of other creative activities, like speech or writing. I wonder if it may be easier to induce if one knew American (or any dialect) sign-language. Could we more readily produce eloquence or insight with the forced physicality athletes and meditation guru's use? And how much beautiful poetry and prose are we missing produced by the deaf community?

0. Popularized in recent books by the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and journalist Steven Kotler.