How to Apply Research From Psychology to Be More Creative

For decades now, scientists and psychologists have put creativity under the microscope (actually the fMRI) but, because much of its workings lurk in the unconscious, it remains largely an enigma. Some neuroscientists have located creative thought largely in the right side of the brain, but not much is known regarding how it operates or why the muse decides to make a cognitive visit (or leave abruptly). Creativity is seen as a kind of shapeshifting of the human mind that makes it impossible to predict when an “aha moment” will arrive and what form it will take.

Some researchers, however, have found there to be psychological connections to creativity that can be potentially useful in attracting the muse when she is in the neighborhood. Here are seven ways to apply findings from the field to help us be more creative.

1. Have a routine.

Creativity may be footloose and fancy-free but reigning it in often requires having some sort of routine. “As strange as it sounds, creativity can become a habit,” noted Jonathan Plucker, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Indiana University. Structuring your day with certain activities at certain times can provide a psychological framework for sparks to fly, precisely why many artists and writers do just that as part of their process. Rituals encourage a sense of confidence, an attribute that is almost essential to coming up with new and interesting ideas. Get in creative mode by having a few staples on your daily calendar.

2. Raise the roof.

And I mean literally. In a 2007 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, Joan Meyers-Levy and Rui Zhu found there is such a thing as a “cathedral effect,” in which ceiling height (its perception) influences how we think and solve problems. Being in a room with ceilings viewed as high encourages abstract or free thinking, they contend, while being in one with ceilings considered low promotes rational thought and attention to detail. Allow your creativity to soar to new heights by setting up shop in an environment with tall (or no!) ceilings.

3. Perambulate.

A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that not only is there a bump in creativity (specifically “divergent thinking”) when one is walking but the effect lingers for a while after the stroll. It doesn’t matter where one walks, the Stanford University researchers found, meaning it could be outdoors, on a treadmill, or at the mall. Interestingly, walking appears to have no positive impact on focused thinking, so perambulate when fresh ideas are on the menu.

4. Go green.

Kermit the Frog tells us it’s not easy being green, but a team of researchers in Germany recently found that the color can stimulate creativity. Students taking a test with green pages gave more creative answers than those whose pages were white, blue, red, or gray, the study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin revealed. The researchers hypothesized that because green symbolizes growth and renewal, the color helps one think positively and constructively, which is key to creativity.

5. Turn off the lights.

In the late 1970s, Canadian psychologist Peter Suedfeld and American psychologist Roderick A. Borrie determined that what they called “restricted environmental stimulation techniques” (REST) can make people more creative. Sitting in a dark room is one such technique, with subjects put in such places for a certain period of time likely to have their blood pressure lowered and mood improved. Moderate sensory deprivation makes one relaxed, the research shows, and tranquility is correlated with creativity. Restrict the stimulation in your environment to see if less can be more for you.

6. Reach for peak experiences.

In 1964, psychologist Abraham Maslow (of Hierarchy of Needs fame) proposed that certain (more evolved) people were capable of achieving a euphoric mental state. He called such moments “peak experiences,” during which the individual perceived reality in an exciting and even magical way. While rare, such experiences were apt to occur while engaged in some form of creative (or religious) activity. Strive for such peak experiences when you feel you’re reaching your full creative potential.

7. Channel madness.

It has long been believed that there is some kind of link between creativity and madness and, as it turns out, there appears to be some truth to it. In his book Divine Madness, psychologist Jeffrey A. Kottler made the convincing case that great artists like Charles Mingus, Lenny Bruce, and Brian Wilson were at least in the general vicinity of mental illness. Does one have to suffer from madness to be super creative? Not at all. Kottler’s research suggests that innovation could possibly benefit from what might be called imaginative psychosis, however, a concept worth exploring.