The Science Behind Creativity

So you’ve probably heard that creativity can make us happier, but what about the science of creativity? Creativity can indeed make us happier and there’s more and more evidence based data to back that up.

Researches have found artists in general, no matter the medium tend to be happier. Many even live longer and most definitely move into the second half of life with greater ease and equanimity.

Let’s Consider The Science Of Creativity

The first thing science has proved is that stress kills creativity. So the flip side of that would be that creativity kills stress.

Psychologist Robert Epstein, PhD is the author of “The Big Book of Creativity Games” (McGraw-Hill, 2000) and he’s researched creativity extensively.

Through his research Epstein has found that strengthening four core skill sets leads to an increase in novel ideas.

One of the keys to creativity is that habitual creativity also tends to make us more productive.

Thoughts For Routine Creativity

Here are things to consider for making creativity routine and habitually.

Capture new ideas. Keep a record of the new ideas and thoughts that come up for you with a notebook or voice recorder. I do this via my Samsung Notebook that allows me to take notes with the magic pen that’s part of the device or activate the voice recorder when creative thoughts penetrate my mind right as I’m getting ready for bed. Literally right when I turn the lights off many times creative ideas come rushing so I’m always armed and ready with my Android at arm’s length.
Seek out challenging projects. Take on things that are hard. That push you. The notion here is when you push yourself to do something that may not be easy or a project that may not have a solution this causes old ideas to compete, which helps generate new ideas. The mind is truly a vast portal of potentiality and ideas.
Broaden your knowledge base. Experts suggest learning something new. Diving in to areas or fields of study that are foreign to you. According to Epstein, “This makes more diverse knowledge available for interconnection, he says, which is the basis for all creative thought. Ask for permission to sit in on lectures for a class on 12th century architecture and take notes,” he suggests. “You’ll do better in psychology and life if you broaden your knowledge.” I am a big proponent of always learning, always growing and always evolving, but I think you might’ve already figured this out. The more I learn the more creative ideas come to me.
Stay in close proximity of interesting things and people. Regular outings with diverse and interesting friends is a great way to generate creativity. Set up your space with unusual trinkets and things and out-of-the-ordinary objects. These will help you come up with more original ideas, A jaunt a local art museum, the opera, theatre, or your local independent bookstore is always a great way keep the creative juices flowing. Speaking of local bookstores…..ummm – have you stopped by my bookshop? Click here to check out my top 100.

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