The Surprising Benefits of Creativity

You may think that creative hobbies, pastimes, or goals are simply nice-to-haves, reserved for those with more time than you, or even a waste of time.

But, bottom line up front, creativity is good for you.

Creativity and the Brain

A plethora of theories have existed through the ages attempting to describe and distill our personalities and their component traits. Today, many researchers believe that there are five main traits that form the bedrock of our personalities:

• openness,
• conscientiousness,
• extraversion,
• agreeableness, and
• neuroticism.

These traits exist on a continuum with some falling on either on the high or low ends, with most people landing somewhere in the middle. (Read more here.)

A good bit of study has been dedicated to investigating the relationship between the expression of these traits and our health. 

In particular, openness appears to have a positive relationship with long-term health. A high degree of openness is associated with flexibility in thinking, receptiveness to new ideas and experiences, and curiosity. Creativity is also associated with openness.

A 2012 study published in the Journal of Aging and Health (as described in this Scientific American article) explored whether openness alone or one of its associated attributes could predict life expectancy. From this study, creativity emerged as the one and only predictive factor. As Scientific American puts it, "creative thinking reduces stress and keeps the brain healthy." 

"Creative thinking reduces stress and keeps the brain healthy." 

This is your brain on creativity.

Creativity exercises many neural networks throughout the brain, which the study's author, Nicholas Turiano theorized could be why "individuals high in creativity maintain the integrity of their neural networks even into old age." 

"Individuals high in creativity maintain the integrity of their neural networks even into old age."

Creativity and Stress

A literature review published in February 2010 in the American Journal of Public Health explored studies that examined the relationship between creative arts (specifically music engagement, visual arts therapy, movement-based creative expression, and expressive writing) and health.

While they found that more high quality research is needed to understand how much the creative arts impacted positive health outcomes, they also found compelling evidence that art-based therapies reduced "adverse physiological and psychological outcomes." As an example, music therapy (the best studied of the four types of creative arts described above) demonstrably reduced anxiety. 

Additionally, they argued that participating in creative activities had the capacity to help reduce stress. As one example, they examined a small study of caregivers of family members with cancer wherein the caregivers participated in a creative arts intervention. Following the intervention, the caregivers reported "significantly reduced stress, decreased anxiety, and increased positive emotions."

Following the intervention, the caregivers reported "significantly reduced stress, decreased anxiety, and increased positive emotions."

Health Benefits of Creativity

The same literature review described above found compelling evidence of a positive link between participating in the creative arts and improved health outcomes (again, they focused on music engagement, visual arts therapy, movement-based creative expression, and expressive writing). Specifically, the studies they reviewed indicated the following associations:

• reduced hospital stays,
• improved clinical outcomes in a hospital setting (better vital signs, reduced stress-related cortisol levels, less medicine required to sleep),
• decreased physical and emotional distress during cancer treatment, and
• improved quality-of-life measures for patients undergoing long-term treatments.

While the majority of the studies reviewed were conducted in clinical settings, the writers found it reasonable that these benefits and benefits to overall wellness would extend to day-to-day life. 

How to be More Creative

Okay, so now what? 

Don't consider yourself creative? Do you just need to accept an earlier death sentence? 

Resounding NOPE.

According to this Psychology Today article on Everyday Creativity, "the first step to increasing your creativity quotient is believing that you can."

"The first step to increasing your creativity quotient is believing that you can."

I mean, yes, the first study we looked at above looked at our overall personality traits, those things that are a combination of our innate nature and our nurtured environment. But, even there, the creative thinking that engages our many neural pathways can be learned and practiced. Fundamentally, creative thinking is problem solving. 

Approach a situation, problem, or conundrum a new way. Drive home a different way (unless, you're like me, in which case it's entirely possible that you'll end up in a different state or city than intended, which, I guess, is another creative problem to solve). Style your hair differently. Learn to cook something new. My personal favorite? Learn to make something new!

And remember, the literature review we looked at didn't look at creative people, they looked at people participating in creative experiences or therapies. 

Next Steps

Intrigued?

We love creativity here at Makeorium (in case you hadn't guessed that already). Specifically, crafting, making, and the visual arts tends to be our jam. And we believe anybody can do it and everybody can benefit from it. 

We know you're busy and eking out time for creative pursuits is hard. You're working hard at home, work, or both. You might have family members to care for. You might be a parent (or trying to be one - trust me, I know what a full-time job that can be).

We're here to help. We try to help you find ways to live a more creative lifestyle, to maximize your space and life so you can seize those moments.  

Making time to make can help you live a better life. And that just might help you be a better you for all those responsibilities on your shoulders.

Makeorium is a place for making. Sign up for the Maker's Jam, our email newsletter, where we share all our best tips, tricks, and tutorials to make and make time for making. 

Hope to see you soon!