Boosting Creativity Research Paper

How can we, as people, boost our creativity? And does stress and anxiety play a role in amplifying creativity? Although many see creativity and stress differently than others, I can determine that creativity is the ability to develop and express ourselves as well as our ideas in new ways.  Creativity is more active when the brain is resting or when the brain has taken a break or calmed down. Additionally, creativity can be improved in many different ways, in fact, creative people often know how to relieve their brain from stressful situations using techniques, while others who are stressed and bottle their anxiety have trouble achieving a creative mindset as well as being focused on a topic in general. 

The process of creativity, as well as creative thinking, mostly relies on your life experiences as well as day-to-day activities. Knowing that stress is normal for everyone, there are times when you need to take a step back, calm yourself down, and give your mind a break. According to an article written by Carolyn Gregoire, Gregoire conveys the message that “Nature is the key to calming the mind.” To help back up her statement she provides a research project back in 2012, which states that “Strayer found that backpackers were 50 percent more creative after they had spent four days out on the trail.” (Neuroscientist David Strayer) Furthermore, it's clear from her argument, that her points and cited sources from research do indeed support the claim that nature is the key to calming the mind from stress and actively making you a more creative thinker. 

Many may ask, why is a creative life such a good life to live? According to an article written by Amanda Enayati, she states that “Creating helps make people happier, less anxious, more resilient and better equipped to problem-solve in the face of hardship.” In my opinion, I completely agree with this statement that Enayati puts forward in her article. Creative thinking is something that everyone should understand and utilize when they are in a quick-thinking situation. Going back to the first quote I used, Enayati also adds that “Imagining and creating give us a sense of purpose”. But what does this mean, and how does this boost someone into thinking more creatively. For example, I loved to think creatively in my classes because it gave me a sense of leadership and purpose especially when in a group of people. Creativity is something that will boost your confidence and help you achieve your goals faster than others that lack motivation and confidence in themselves.  A creative life is indeed a good life to live, just think, we wouldn't be here and we wouldn't have big cities and cars without creativity and innovation.

Can stress get in the way of your creative thinking, if so,  how do people deal with stress and anxiety? An article provided by the Harvard Business Review and written by Elizabeth Grace Saunders provides helpful tips on how to avoid stress and not being able to think creatively in stressful situations. In my opinion, when someone asks me a question and expects me to answer in a very short duration of time, my brain is overwhelmed and it is almost impossible for me to answer. Saunders points out that in a time where you’re needed to come up with an idea or virtually anything relating to the question you need to let go of trying to “make yourself” come up with something creative. Without a notion like this, your brain continues to go into fight or flight mode, which in conclusion will lead you to operate out of the primal, least creative part of your brain. Going back to the explanation I have provided, Saunders helps to back up my statement by saying that, “You want to create a sense of psychological safety so you don’t experience debilitating performance pressure.” In conclusion, overcrowding your brain and letting stress take over while trying to be creative is only going to lead to a harder time thinking creatively and coming up with ideas in general.

Creativity is something that everyone looks at adversely, but there are ways that we can enhance creativity and boost our creative thinking. Regardless of whether it is taking a walk around your neighborhood, or just having a picnic surrounded by nature, your brain needs time to wind down and process and think again. Thinking creatively generates many different benefits in your daily life, such as, focusing on a task/s, and as well as not letting stress control you in quick thinking situations. So why would you not want to live a creative life and have the opportunity to boost your creativity?

Work Cited

Enayati, By Special Amanda To Cnn. “A Creative Life Is a Healthy Life.” CNN, 26 May 2012, edition.cnn.com/2012/05/25/health/enayati-innovation-passion-stress. Accessed 27 Apr. 2021.

Gregoire, Carolyn. “The New Science of the Creative Brain on Nature.” Outside Online, 18 Mar. 2016, www.outsideonline.com/2062221/new-science-creative-brain-nature. Accessed 26 Apr. 2021.

Saunders, Elizabeth Grace. “How to Be Creative When You’re Feeling Stressed.” Harvard Business Review, 11 Jan. 2019, hbr.org/2018/11/how-to-be-creative-when-youre-feeling-stressed#:%7E:text=Activities%20like%20walking%2C%20napping%2C%20eating,mind%20explore%20a%20particular%20idea. Accessed 27 Apr. 2021.