J. K. Rowling said, “There’s nothing like a nighttime stroll to give you ideas.” Charles Dickens worked in intense five-hour blocks before his daily 10- to 12-mile constitutional. “I could not keep my health otherwise,” he insisted. But perhaps the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard put it best: “I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.”
A 2014 study from the Stanford University Graduate School of Education suggests hard science behind the magic. In their experiments, the Stanford researchers asked a small group of participants to perform a series of tests to measure either divergent thinking — coming up with fresh and imaginative ideas — or creative output. These tests were tried on people who were sitting, then walking; walking, then sitting; solely walking; or solely sitting.
Overall, walking was linked to a significant uplift in participants’ creative thinking. In fact, 81% of participants saw their scores for creative output go up by an average of 60% when they were walking, rather than sitting — even if the walk had taken place on a treadmill in an otherwise uninspiring room, as opposed to outdoors.
Interestingly, the Stanford study found that walking didn’t improve research subjects’ brainpower across the board. While walking proved useful for divergent thinking, it was less effective in boosting the kind of convergent thinking that helps resolve complex puzzles. In other words, walking may not be good for focused thinking, but it is a powerful tool for more creative, generative thinking.
The study also found that the creative power of walking lingers. The volunteers who went for a walk before they needed to be creative scored higher in the tests that followed than those who just stayed seated. The power of walking seems clear.
But walking isn’t just a tool for coming up with your own productive ideas. Walks are a way of having meetings, too.
So, suggest a walking meeting with a colleague in place of your normal get-together; if one colleague is hostile to the idea, try it with another who isn’t. Experiment with different time lengths, and factor in an expectation that the first couple of attempts are likely to be awkward. Stick with it.
网友评论