Living abroad increases your creativity

Living in a foreign country helps foster creativity according to new research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

Anecdotal evidence has long held that creativity in artists and writers can be associated with living in foreign parts. Rudyard Kipling, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, Paul Gauguin, Samuel Beckett and others spent years dwelling abroad. Now a pair of psychologists has proved that there is indeed a link.

In an experiment, researchers gave students a box of drawing pins, a candle, and some matches. The students were asked to attach the candle to a cardboard wall so that no wax would drip on the floor when the candle was lit. They found that 60% of those who had lived abroad could solve the problem, versus 42% of those who'd never lived abroad. A follow-up experiment tested creative negotiating skills with similar results. This is a wonderful discussion on the effects of immersing oneself in another culture for extended periods of time. While I will never become another Hemingway as a result, I am sure my life, and my family's, has been enriched by leaving the familiar and embracing the new. Directly relevant to the present investigation, empirical evidence suggests a general relationship between diverse experiences and enhanced creativity. I find that experiencing diverse locations inspires and stimulates but I do most of my processing during quiet walks in nature away from these very situations. Cultural Borders and Mental Barriers: The Relationship Between Living Abroad and Creativity via Expats at work: Living abroad gives you a creative edge. Also Nature Walks Make You Smarter.