A new study suggests that walking can effectively boost the brain's creative thinking leading to better ideas compared to those produced while sitting.
Researchers Marily Oppezzo from Santa Clara University and Daniel L. Schwartz from Stanford University recruited 176 college students to test the belief that the best thoughts are formed while walking.
"Many people anecdotally claim they do their best thinking when walking," said Oppezzo in a press release. "With this study, we finally may be taking a step or two toward discovering why."
The participants were given assessments to measure their creative answers on questions related to creative thinking and making unique analogies. The questions were designed to capture complex ideas, as well as problem solving.
The first experiment involved 48 students who were asked to sit alone in a small room with a desk facing the wall. They were different common objects such as a button and were asked to provide other ways they can use those objects aside from its original function. They were given four minutes to come up with a creative answer. The experiment was repeated to see the variation of their responses while sitting and walking.
The researchers also tested if the environment has a direct effect on the creative responses of the participants. They divided them into three groups: one group sat into a small room and moved to another room through a wheelchair, one sat and walked in a treadmill, and one walked outdoors.
Their analysis revealed that all participants gave the best ideas they thought of while walking. The walkers also provided better ideas on other experiments; however, the sitters performed better when tasked to solve problems with a single response. The environment is not also a factor on their creative ideas as consistency was observed on the walkers despite being moved to different environments.
The researchers admitted that further studies are needed to fully establish the relationship between walking and creative thinking.
"Incorporating physical activity into our lives is not only beneficial for our hearts but our brains as well. This research suggests an easy and productive way to weave it into certain work activities," Oppezzo said in a press release.
This study was published in the April 24 issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition.
