Lacking Inspiration? New Study Finds Regular Exercise Could Boost Creativity

Rebecca Lewis December 12, 2013

You probably know that regular exercise is good for your mental health. There’s mounting evidence suggesting that physical activity boosts learning and mental acuity. But did you know it could spur your creativity too? A new study found that people who work out regularly have higher levels of creativity than their more sedentary peers.

For the study, researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands had 48 athletes (who exercised at least four times a week) and 48 non-athletes (who didn’t regularly exercise) join a creativity task. For the first part of the test, participants were asked to list down alternate uses for a pen. Then, for the second part, they were presented with a series of three words and asked to find the link that connected them. For example, "long" connects the words "time," "hair" and "stretch".

Researchers found that the regular exercisers did better on the second task compared with those who had a less active lifestyle.

Published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, the study showed that exercise seemed to improve divergent and convergent thinking – two major components of creativity. The former involves thinking of multiple solutions for one problem, whilst the latter involves thinking of one solution.

"Exercising on a regular basis may thus act as a cognitive enhancer promoting creativity in inexpensive and healthy ways," Colzato said in a statement.

What else could fuel creativity?

Creativity is a tool that could help us deal with the day-to-day challenges in life. It is also an important factor for success. The new findings provide valuable insights for people looking to improve their creativity and at the same time boost their health all over.

But what else can help increase our creativity? Past research has identified other surprising factors that are associated with creativity. For instance, researchers from the University of Central Lancashire found that being bored at work could activate our creative minds by providing more daydreaming time. Another study published this year in the journal Psychological Science linked innovation and willingness to try new things with messiness.

How about you, what strategy do you think works best in activating your creativity? Feel free to share your comment below.

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Regular Exercise Could Boost Creativity