Creativity is a valuable skill that can help you solve problems, generate new ideas, and achieve your goals. However, creativity is not always easy to come by. Fortunately, science has provided us with several strategies to improve our creativity. In this blog post, we will guide you through some of the best ways to use science to improve your creativity.
Table of Contents
1. Befriend your ACC
When researchers talk about creativity, a frequent topic of conversation in the phenomena is known as insight. We’ve all felt it — it’s that experience of sudden comprehension, that aha moment when we get a joke, solve a puzzle or resolve an ambiguous situation. At the turn of the 21st century, Northwestern neuroscientist Mark Beeman and Drexel University cognitive psychologist John Kounios shed light on this subject. They gave people a series of remote association problems — aka insight problems — and then used EEG and fMRI to monitor their brains as they tried to solve them. Remote association problems are word puzzles. Subjects are given three words — for example, pine/crab/sauce — and asked to do one thing:
Find a fourth word that complements all of them. Some people solve this problem logically, by simply testing one word after another. Others come at it via insight, meaning that the right answer simply pops into mind. A handful of folks blend both strategies. What Beeman and Kounios uncovered was a noticeable shift in brain function that occurred. Right before people viewed a problem that they’d eventually solve with insight, there was heightened activity in their brain’s anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The ACC plays a role in salience and executive attention, and it’s the part that handles error correction by detecting conflicting signals in the brain.
“This includes alternative strategies for solving a problem,” says Kounios. “The brain can’t use two different strategies at the same time. Some are strongly activated, because they’re the most obvious. And some are weak and only remotely associated to the problem — odd thoughts, longshot ideas. These ideas are the creative ones. When the ACC is activated, it can detect these non-obvious, weakly activated ideas and signal the brain to switch attention to them. That’s an aha moment.” Beeman and Kounios discovered the ACC lights up when we’re considering off-the-wall ideas. Which raises a key question: What fires up the ACC?
2. Engage with nature
Looking at trees and leaves, instead of our electronic devices, reduces our anxiety, lowers our heart rates, soothes us, and allows our brains to make connections more easily. A study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that being in nature for just 20 minutes a day can boost your creativity.
3. Take a break
Taking a break can help you improve your creativity. A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that taking a break can help you solve problems more creatively. The study found that participants who took a break before solving a problem were more likely to come up with creative solutions than those who did not take a break.
4. Get enough sleep
Getting enough sleep is essential for improving your creativity. A study published in the journal Thinking & Reasoning found that sleep can help you solve problems more creatively. The study found that participants who slept for eight hours were more likely to come up with creative solutions than those who did not get enough sleep.
5. Exercise
Exercise is another effective way to improve your creativity. A study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found that exercise can help you come up with more creative ideas. The study found that participants who exercised before solving a problem were more likely to come up with creative solutions than those who did not exercise.
6. Listen to music
Listening to music can also help you improve your creativity. A study published in the journal PLOS ONE found that listening to music can help you come up with more creative ideas. The study found that participants who listened to music before solving a problem were more likely to come up with creative solutions than those who did not listen to music.
Creativity is an essential skill that can help you solve problems, generate new ideas, and achieve your goals. By befriending your ACC, engaging with nature, taking a break, getting enough sleep, exercising, and listening to music, you can improve your creativity and achieve your full potential.
Also read: https://newseense.com/how-to-use-science-to-improve-your-relationships/
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