Noting that brainstorming remains a very popular means of idea generation despite considerable research evidence to the contrary, this paper attempts to debunk the brainstorming myth by first critically reviewing the claims advocating brainstorming and the data supporting these claims. The paper discusses the social science research relevant to brainstorming groups versus nominal groups (which are composed of individuals who do not interact), followed by a review of the explanations that have been developed to explain that literature. Since no single explanation appears to rectify the brainstorming literature, appropriate characteristics of future brainstorming explanations are discussed. Finally, a comparison is made between how brainstorming was initially conceptualized and how it has been operationalized in research. The paper concludes that many potential research avenues await the curious researcher. (Contains 22 references.) (RS)