By Suemedha Sood,Suemedha Sood

Nursing homes offering activities like writing seminars, poker nights, and pottery lessons might just be on to something.

In a study of 1,349 older male veterans, creativity--serving as an indication of openness, the willingness to try new things and accept new ideas--seems to have predicted a longer lifespan. The Journal of Aging and Health study, which followed the men over the course of 18 years (but did not include any women), found that creative thinking may have led to a 12% reduction in mortality risk.

There are a few possible reasons for this, the study's authors say. For one thing, creativity requires the engagement of multiple neural networks, perhaps strengthening those networks as the brain ages. In other words, creative activities may act as exercises that keep the brain fit. People who exhibit creativity also seem to cope with stress better, finding solutions to stressful situations rather than being overwhelmed by them. And other studies this year have also shown a connection between openness and reduced metabolic risk.

Hobbies or other activities in which we create something new--be that music, food, or furniture--require problem-solving skills and imagination. Such tasks are often relaxing, and even when they take a lot of energy, they are usually fulfilling. It stands to reason, then, that creativity could reduce our stress levels, improve our overall health, and increase our longevity. Get out the finger paints.

2 Comments

1. 1. Greenberet 06:13 AM 9/20/12

   This might be a little silly, but I really want the author to add some info about how to be creative...

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2. 2. cdmsr in reply to Greenberet 09:30 PM 9/24/12

   It is not silly.
   
   I'd like to make a few suggestions for a sort of quick start to creativity.
   
   Try writing. Start with a daily journal, jot down thoughts and impressions. Blend in observations and memories invoked by those observations.
   
   Draw. Just get an ordinary No. 2 pencil and an unlined steno pad, then google "how to draw." You'll find a great selection on general techniques and offerings on specific subjects. Pick up some tecniques and see how it goes. Go abstract, whatever appeals to you. Let your inner eye guide your hand and, again, see where it goes.
   
   You might also try free-form sculpting. Go to a hobby store and by a box -- yeah, it comes in a box -- of a clay-like sculpting medium. You can buy special tools, or you can improvise with a spoon, butter knife, etc., or use the original clay-working lnstruments,fingers.
   
   Whatever you go with, the most important first step is to shun criticism, especially from your inner critic. Just turn it off -- stuff it in a box. It's never satisfied and can kill motivation and inspiration, so don't subject your efforts to its withering gaze, and harsh judgment. Learn to ignore it until you feel close to ready to give it the competition of an outsider's judgment.
   
   Have fun. Paradoxically, if and when it starts to feel like work -- when it seems to have become important -- you may be an artist, writer, etc.
   
   

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