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Robert Frost famously wrote: "The woods are lovely, dark and deep."
But such natural settings may offer more than just beauty. They might also foster creativity. A recent study suggests that a backpacking trip can substantially increase just how inventive your brain can be. The finding is in the journal PLoS ONE. [Ruth Ann Atchley, David L. Strayer and Paul Atchley, Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning through Immersion in Natural Settings]
Researchers sent 56 subjects out on four-to-six day wilderness hiking trips without access to electronic devices—no cell phones, no iPads, no game boys, nothing.
Upon their return, the hikers took tests designed to measure creativity. A control group that hadn't been in the woods scored a 4.14 out of 10 on the test. But the woods wanderers scored a 6.08.
Previous studies have shown that down time in general makes people more creative. The researchers thus say that this creativity boost is probably due to not just nature, but to taking a break from the stresses of work and technology.
So the next time you get stuck on a tough problem, or can't seem to concentrate—try a walk in the woods. It could help your creative promise.
—Rose Eveleth
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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10 Comments
Add CommentI agree too, but I can't imagine how this could possibly be a double blind experiment. It would be nice to have some reference to the actual study itself...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSo, a ten minute walk in the woods (no doubt listening to music on headphones in case you can't find anyone to talk to on your cell phone) is comparable to a four-to-six day wilderness hiking trip without access to electronic devices?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYou wish...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOK, sorry, I should have looked more closely. The link to the original article is there. My bad.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn the final of the *Abstract* we can read this:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this*A limitation of the current research is the inability to determine if the effects are due to an increased exposure to nature, a decreased exposure to technology, or to other factors associated with spending three days immersed in nature.*
With base in that paragraph we can easily conclude that this research is simply irrelevant.
I wouldn't go so far as to say Irrelevant. At the very least it gives the pointer towards additional research. Each of those iterations, 1. Increased exposure to nature 2. decreased exposure to technology 3. Ceasing to work for a specified period of time would need to be tested separately. But I agree, not much hard data came from this one study.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDid they really test the creativity boost of a break from technology? Or did they actually just test the creativity boost of a nearly week-long vacation?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI do agree with the results of the research. My own experience shows being in natural place like mountainous areas can improve my mood and as a result my creativity encourages as well.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI very much agree with the premise.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI would be quite shocked if it were proved wrong.
My quibble was with the method.
It seemed somewhat less than... well.. scientific...
Did the study make any effort to compensate for confounding factors like exercise? Hiking several days in the woods would mean significant exercise and changes in brain chemistry due to the release of endorphins, among other things.
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