University Research: Taking a Walk Could Reinforce Creativity in Brain

Could your morning walk result in a creative breakthrough? Stanford University researchers published a study that found walking increases creative inspiration after they compared creativity levels in participants who were sitting and participants who were walking.

The researchers' study, "Give Your Ideas Some Legs: The Positive Effect of Walking on Creative Thinking," was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology on April 21. They conducted four experiments with sedentary and moving participants in different settings to demonstrate how creativity is boosted. After each experiment, the participants were asked to complete Gulford's alternate uses (GAU) test of creative divergent thinking as well as the compound remote associates (CRA) test of convergent thinking.

However, the findings of this study aren't too surprising; they simply reinforced the habits of many creative thinkers. Steve Jobs was known for conducting "walking meetings," Beethoven used to go for walks after his lunch, and the authors of the "Lost Generation" strolled about Paris to spur their creativity. But the fact that the experiments were tested in different settings was significant.

The researchers tested a variety of options with their participants and ultimately arrived at the conclusion that creative thinking is at its greatest when walking or shortly after walking.

"I thought walking outside would blow everything out of the water, but walking on a treadmill in a small, boring room still had strong results, which surprised me," said the study's co-author and Stanford doctoral graduate, Marily Oppezzo, in this Stanford University news release.

A total of 176 undergraduates of Stanford University participated in the study and went through four experiments. The Gulford's alternative uses test of divergent thinking helped the researchers arrive at the conclusion that creative output increases by an average of 60% when walking. Three out of the four experiments relied on the test, which examined divergent thinking, or the thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions.

The authors conclude in their study: "Walking had a strong effect on creative production whether in- doors or out. Of those who walked, 95% generated at least one novel high-quality analogy compared with 50% of those who sat."

You can read more about the Stanford University research about creative thinking on the Fast Company website.