But the fact that people gravitate to fluency in art and design is no excuse for dumb simplicity. The central insight of MAYA is that people actually prefer complexity—up to the point that they stop understanding something. Many of today’s museumgoers don’t just stare at the water lilies. They enjoy strange and abstract art that gives them a feeling or a jolt of meaning. TV viewers don’t just watch reruns. They like complex mysteries with narrative puzzles that come to completion. Theatergoers love familiar revivals, but the most influential Broadway smash hits are ones, like Hamilton, that
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