Experts say simple exercise can boost creativity

Lifestyle

by david randoseru

Are you mentally blocked? Take a walk, you'll feel better.

“Even just one short burst of aerobic exercise can stimulate creative thinking,” Dr Chong Chen, an assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Yamaguchi University in Japan, told the Guardian. Chen is the author of a new review on the effects of physical activity on the creative process.

Experts say you don't need to get carried away or push yourself, just move. Get your brain active by moving your body, or simply brush away the cobwebs.

This concept is not new. Nietzsche once warned: He said, “Don't believe in any ideas that don't come from free movement outdoors.”

But now scientists like Chen are digging deeper, trying to figure out exactly why exercise boosts our creativity in this way. And they're discovering that it's not about fitness at all, but rather the simple act of movement that shakes everything up. .

The Guardian reports that studies evaluating everything from dancing to climbing stairs to the effects of running have shown positive results after exercise.

“Regular aerobic exercise can induce structural changes such as increased brain volume, particularly in the hippocampus, which benefits many aspects of cognition such as working memory, attention control, and information processing.” says Amir Homayoun Javadi. University of Kent. “This increases the chance of your brain being creative.”

“This is why you sometimes realize after a walk or run that you've come up with a great idea or solution, even if you're not consciously thinking about it,” he explained.

Even better, research shows that activities foster the most diverse types of “thinking outside the box” types of creativity.

Experts say there's still much to learn, including how long these effects last and what training is most effective.

For example, Javadi believes that it is not what activities you do that matters, but what you get out of them.

“Running on the treadmill at the gym allows you to get into your zone and switch off,” he said. “On the road, you have to constantly engage with your surroundings, making left turns, right turns, avoiding obstacles, etc., which distracts you and interrupts your thinking. Nature has an additional influence on the brain. They are all completely different experiences and can influence your creativity through different pathways.”

Still, researchers like Chen say there's plenty of knowledge to get started.

“Short active breaks at school or work can revitalize people's creativity and problem-solving skills,” he said. “Also, for those who find the concept of achieving 'fitness' too difficult, knowing that just a few minutes of walking or other low-intensity physical activity can enhance creative thinking can be a great way to get up and work.” It should seem like it’s worth the physical activity.”

You also don't have to be an artist, writer, or tech whiz to come up with the next innovative app to test your concept. From balancing a budget to resolving family disputes, a little creativity always helps. .

Dr Christian Rominger from the University of Graz said: “We commonly associate creativity with people who 'make things', such as artists, architects, poets and playwrights.''

“But we all have both the potential and the need to be creative.”