Want to be more creative? Go for a walk | Marily Oppezzo

Summary

The speaker discusses the creative process, emphasizing that generating new ideas is just the beginning. They share findings from four studies indicating that walking, both indoors and outdoors, can significantly boost creativity during brainstorming sessions. Using the 'alternate uses' test, the studies showed that walking can nearly double a person's creative output. The speaker suggests walking before important meetings to harness this effect and offers five practical tips to maximize creativity, including selecting a topic, maintaining a comfortable pace, generating many ideas, speaking them aloud, and knowing when to take a break.

Takeaways

• 🧠 The creative process is long, iterative, and requires refinement, time, and effort.
• 💡 The focus of the studies discussed is on the brainstorming phase of creativity.
• 👣 Walking, both indoors and outdoors, was tested to measure its impact on creativity.
• 🗝️ One creativity test involved alternate uses for everyday objects, like thinking of different ways to use a key.
• 🎨 Creativity is defined by 'appropriate novelty'—the idea must be both realistic and unique.
• 🚶 People who walked on a treadmill while brainstorming generated nearly twice as many creative ideas compared to those who sat.
• 📈 Walking also had a residual effect, making people more creative even after they stopped walking.
• 🗣️ Speaking ideas aloud while walking and recording them can enhance brainstorming by avoiding the mental filter imposed when writing.
• 🏃 Comfortable physical activity, like walking, is effective for creativity, but intense activity like running might not work for everyone.
• 🎯 It’s important to keep brainstorming, coming up with many ideas, and to revisit the problem if inspiration doesn’t come immediately.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the creative process discussed in the script?

The main focus is on the initial phase of the creative process, specifically brainstorming and coming up with new ideas.

How many studies were conducted to explore the creative process?

Four studies were conducted with various participants.

What is the 'alternate uses' test mentioned in the script?

The 'alternate uses' test is a creativity test where participants have four minutes to come up with as many alternative uses for common everyday objects as they can think of.

What is the definition of creativity used in the studies?

The definition of creativity used is 'appropriate novelty,' meaning the ideas must be realistic and original, not previously mentioned by anyone else in the surveyed population.

How did the group that walked on the treadmill perform in the creativity test?

The group that walked on the treadmill performed almost twice as well as the groups that sat for the test.

What was the effect of walking on the treadmill on the participants' creativity after the test?

The participants who walked on the treadmill still exhibited a residual effect of creativity even after they stopped walking.

What are the five tips provided to enhance the creative brainstorming process?

The tips are: 1) Pick a problem or topic to brainstorm, 2) Choose a comfortable physical activity, 3) Generate as many ideas as possible, 4) Speak your ideas to record them without filtering, and 5) Don't overdo it; return to the idea later if it's not coming.

Why is it suggested not to write down ideas during the brainstorming walk?

Writing down ideas can act as a filter, causing one to question if the idea is good enough to record. Speaking the ideas allows for a continuous flow of creativity without this initial judgment.

What is the 'shower effect' mentioned in the script?

The 'shower effect' refers to the spontaneous emergence of new ideas while in the shower, which is different from the intentional brainstorming discussed in the script.

How does the act of walking influence the brainstorming process according to the script?

Walking, particularly at a comfortable pace, can boost creativity and enhance the brainstorming process by allowing for a continuous flow of ideas without the immediate need for judgment or filtering.

What is the recommendation for those who are not getting creative ideas while walking?

If creative ideas are not coming during the walk, it is recommended to return to the problem at another time, suggesting that creativity may not always be forced and can benefit from revisiting at a later moment.

Outlines

00:00

🚶‍♂️ The Power of Walking for Creativity

The speaker discusses the creative process, emphasizing the iterative and laborious nature of generating ideas. They focus on the initial phase of brainstorming and present findings from four studies that compared the creative output of individuals who were either sitting or walking. One of the creativity tests used was the 'alternate uses' test, where participants had to suggest unconventional uses for common objects within a four-minute timeframe. Creativity was defined by the criteria of 'appropriate novelty,' meaning ideas had to be both realistic and original. The studies revealed that those who walked, even in a windowless room on a treadmill, generated nearly twice as many creative ideas compared to those who were seated. The speaker suggests that walking can enhance creativity and recommends doing so before important brainstorming sessions. They also provide five tips to maximize the creative benefits of walking: choose a topic, ensure physical activity is comfortable and not attention-consuming, generate many ideas without fixation on the first, speak ideas aloud to record them, and not overdo the walking if ideas aren't forming.

05:02

🐾 Encouraging Creative Thinking Through Movement

In the concluding paragraph, the speaker humorously suggests that if an idea isn't coming during a walk, one should return to it later. They metaphorically propose 'taking thoughts for a walk' as a means to stimulate creativity, ending with a light-hearted recommendation to 'grab a leash' for one's thoughts, encouraging the audience to engage in physical movement as a tool for creative thinking.

Keywords

💡Creative process

The creative process refers to the series of steps taken to transform an initial idea into a final product. In the video, it is described as a long and iterative journey involving refinement, effort, and time. The script emphasizes that creativity is not a spontaneous act but a result of a deliberate and often lengthy process, which is a central theme of the talk.

💡Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a technique used to generate a multitude of ideas, typically in a group setting, by encouraging free thinking and the suspension of judgment. The video focuses on this aspect of the creative process, suggesting that it is a critical first step in coming up with new and innovative ideas.

💡Appropriate novelty

Appropriate novelty is a concept used to define creativity, where an idea is considered creative if it is both appropriate (realistic and relevant) and novel (original and not previously mentioned by others). The video uses this definition to evaluate the creativity of ideas generated during the alternate uses test.

💡Alternate uses test

The alternate uses test is a creativity test where participants are given a common object and asked to come up with as many alternative uses for it as possible within a set time limit. This test is used in the video to measure the creative output of participants in different conditions, such as sitting versus walking.

💡Treadmill

A treadmill is a piece of exercise equipment that simulates walking or running while staying in one place. In the context of the video, treadmills are used to test the hypothesis that walking can enhance creativity. Participants were asked to brainstorm while walking on a treadmill to see if it affected their creative output.

💡Residue effect

The residue effect refers to the lingering impact of an activity on subsequent tasks. In the video, it is mentioned that participants who walked on the treadmill maintained a higher level of creativity even after they stopped walking, suggesting that physical activity can have a lasting positive effect on the creative process.

💡Physical activity

Physical activity is any bodily movement that works your muscles and requires energy expenditure. The video suggests that engaging in physical activity, such as walking, can boost creativity, supporting the idea that there is a connection between physical well-being and mental agility.

💡Comfortable pace

A comfortable pace refers to a speed or rate at which an activity is performed that does not cause undue stress or discomfort. The video recommends that for the purpose of enhancing creativity, one should engage in physical activity at a comfortable pace, as it allows the mind to wander and think creatively.

💡Recording ideas

Recording ideas is the act of capturing thoughts and concepts as they come to mind, often to review and refine them later. The video suggests that speaking and recording one's ideas can be more effective than writing them down, as it allows for a continuous flow of thoughts without the mental filter of evaluating each idea's worth.

💡Shower effect

The shower effect is a phenomenon where people often have sudden insights or ideas when they are in the shower or engaged in other non-work-related activities. The video contrasts this spontaneous idea generation with the intentional brainstorming that occurs during a walk, highlighting the difference between unintentional and deliberate creative thinking.

Highlights

The creative process from idea to product is long and iterative, involving refinement and years of work.

The focus is on the initial phase of the creative process: brainstorming and idea generation.

Four studies were conducted with various participants, comparing indoor and outdoor walking with sitting.

The 'alternate uses' test was used to measure creativity, where participants suggest new uses for common objects.

Creativity is defined as 'appropriate novelty', requiring both realism and originality.

The study found that walking, even on a treadmill in a windowless room, nearly doubled creative output compared to sitting.

Practice did not improve creativity for those who sat for both tests, indicating walking has a unique effect.

There is a residual effect of walking on creativity that persists even after sitting down.

It's suggested to walk before important meetings to boost brainstorming creativity immediately afterward.

Five tips are provided to maximize the creative benefits of walking, including choosing a specific problem to focus on.

The pace of walking or running should be comfortable and not distract from the creative process.

The importance of generating many ideas without locking onto the first one is emphasized.

Speaking ideas aloud instead of writing them down can prevent self-censorship and capture more creative thoughts.

Recording spoken ideas via phone can help remember them without the filtering effect of writing.

It's advised not to walk indefinitely; if an idea isn't coming, return to it later.

The presenter humorously suggests grabbing a leash for your thoughts and taking them for a walk.

Transcripts

The creative process -- you know this --

from the first idea to the final product,

is a long process.

It's super-iterative, lots of refinement,

blood, sweat, tears and years.

And we're not saying you're going to go out for a walk

and come back with the Sistine Chapel in your left hand.

So what frame of the creative process did we focus on?

Just this first part.

Just brainstorming, coming up with a new idea.

We actually ran four studies with a variety of people.

You were either walking indoors or outdoors.

And all of these studies found the same conclusion.

I'm only going to tell you about one of them today.

One of the tests we used for creativity was alternate uses.

In this test, you have four minutes.

Your job is to come up with as many other ways to use common everyday objects

as you can think of.

So, for example, what else would you do with a key,

other than to use it for opening up a lock?

Clearly, you could use it as a third eyeball for a giraffe, right?

Maybe. That's sort of interesting, kind of new. But is it creative?

So people came up with as many ideas as they could,

and we had to decide:

Is this creative or not?

The definition of creativity that a lot of people go with

is "appropriate novelty."

For something to be appropriate, it has to be realistic,

so unfortunately, you can't use a key as an eyeball.

Boo!

But "novel," the second thing, is that nobody had to have said it.

So for us, it had to be appropriate first,

and then for novelty,

nobody else in the entire population that we surveyed could have said it.

So you might think you could use a key to scratch somebody's car,

but if somebody else said that, you didn't get credit for it.

Neither of you did.

However, only one person said this:

"If you were dying and it were a murder mystery,

and you had to carve the name of the murderer into the ground

with your dying words."

One person said this.

(Laughter)

And it's a creative idea, because it's appropriate and it's novel.

You either did this test and came up with ideas while you were seated

or while you were walking on a treadmill.

(Laughter)

They did the test twice, with different objects.

Three groups: the first group sat first

and then sat again for the second test.

The second group sat first

and then did the second test while walking on a treadmill.

The third group -- and this is interesting --

they walked on the treadmill first, and then they sat.

OK, so the two groups that sat together for the first test,

they looked pretty similar to each other,

and they averaged about 20 creative ideas per person.

The group that was walking on the treadmill

did almost twice as well.

And they were just walking on a treadmill in a windowless room.

Remember, they took the test twice.

The people who sat twice for that second test didn't get any better;

practice didn't help.

But these same people who were sitting and then went on the treadmill

got a boost from walking.

Here's the interesting thing.

The people who were walking on the treadmill

still had a residue effect of the walking,

and they were still creative afterwards.

So the implication of this is that you should go for a walk

before your next big meeting and just start brainstorming right away.

We have five tips for you

that will help make this the best effect possible.

First, you want to pick a problem or a topic to brainstorm.

So, this is not the shower effect,

when you're in the shower and all of a sudden,

a new idea pops out of the shampoo bottle.

This is something you're thinking about ahead of time.

They're intentionally thinking about brainstorming a different perspective

on the walk.

Secondly -- I get asked this a lot:

Is this OK while running?

Well, the answer for me is that if I were running,

the only new idea I would have would be to stop running, so ...

(Laughter)

But if running for you is a comfortable pace, good.

It turns out, whatever physical activity is not taking a lot of attention.

So just walking at a comfortable pace is a good choice.

Also, you want to come up with as many ideas as you can.

One key of creativity is to not lock on that first idea.

Keep going.

Keep coming up with new ones, until you pick one or two to pursue.

You might worry that you don't want to write them down,

because what if you forget them?

So the idea here is to speak them.

Everybody was speaking their new ideas.

So you can put your headphones on and record through your phone

and then just pretend you're having a creative conversation, right?

Because the act of writing your idea down is already a filter.

You're going to be like, "Is this good enough to write down?"

And then you write it down.

So just speak as many as you can, record them and think about them later.

And finally: don't do this forever. Right?

If you're on the walk and that idea's not coming to you,

come back to it later at another time.

I think we're coming up on a break right now,

so I have an idea:

Why don't you grab a leash

and take your thoughts for a walk?

Thank you.

(Applause)