Walk for Creativity

People generate more creative ideas when they walk than when they sit, according to a new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology (http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xlm-a0036577.pdf).

"'Everyone always says going on a walk gives you new ideas, but nobody had ever proved it before,' said Marily Oppezzo, a psychology professor at Santa Clara University and the lead author of the study.

"To test for creativity, Oppezzo asked volunteers to come up with alternative uses for a common item like a tire or a tweezer.  Creative suggestions for a button, for example, might include tiny strainer, dollhouse doorknob, or the eye for a doll.  In the first experiment, volunteers were given four minutes to complete the creativity test — first while sitting at a desk in a small room, and then while walking on a treadmill.  Of the 48 participants in the study, 81% improved their creative output when walking...

"The researchers noted that walkers were more talkative than sitters, but they said the increase in creative ideas generated when walking is not due simply to an increase of ideas in general....  In subsequent experiments, the researchers found that the effect of walking on creativity can linger for a period of time.  People who took the creativity test while walking, and then while sitting, showed a continued creative boost during the sitting portion of the test."

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