Creative people are sometimes a little kooky and quirky. I know that I have crazy processes to get me in the mood for painting, writing and doing any of the general artsy-fartsy stuff I constantly spend my time on. I've done everything from downing energy drinks and then cleaning my entire house, to cooking elaborate snack food to help motivate and inspire my work. They aren't always effective and sometimes leave me too tired to even get creative. So when I heard there was a way to get my creative juices flowing a little more easily, I was definitely intrigued. But who could have expected it to be something as simple as walking?
Yes, cccording to Oregon Live, walking can increase your creativity and help you come up with some awesome ideas. The study was conducted by Marily Oppezzo, a doctoral graduate of educational psychology, and professor Daniel Schwartz from Stanford University. Apparently taking a stroll outside or on your treadmill will have the same effect, allowing your brain to open up. This means that the act of walking itself is more important than the setting.
The study involved 176 participants, including both students of Stanford and other adults. The group completed four different experiments to determine whether walking actually had an effect on the creative process, including thinking sessions while walking outside, walking on a treadmill, sitting indoors and being pushed in a wheelchair outside. Subjects were then asked to make up analogies or interesting sentences, which were then ranked by their complexity. The results proved that getting up and moving was better than sitting at producing creative results, even when the subjects were sitting outside. A whopping 100% of walkers versus just half of sitters could come up with a super sharp analogy.
Apparently some of our most creative folks are (or were) quite fond of taking walks to come up with some pretty rad ideas. Steve Jobs, Apple genius, often held meetings outside while having a stroll. and he came up with some of the most innovative technology to ever exist. Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook followed in Jobs' footsteps (no pun intended...okay maybe a little) and has his crew walk with him to boost creativity. Even the amazing Beethoven composed some of his most complicated and beautiful pieces of work while moving his legs around.
But walking isn't going to turn you into some genius or the most artistic person on the planet. If you're looking for a little boost in your creativity, and maybe even your productivity, give walking a shot. The researchers think that other mild physical activities might do the trick, too. I think that I might try taking casual strolls now and again instead of going into one of my caffeine-induced frenzies when I run out of ideas. Maybe it will help me overcome my writer's block so I can write the next great script, or at least walk off my lunch.
