a new study has shown there’s a link between living overseas and creativity.

using a multi-method approach, 5 studies explored the relationship btwn creativity and living abroad. it seems the act of adapting to a different culture and how much you adapt is the key to improved creativity. and it seems just traveling overseas doesn’t have the same link.

“It may be that those critical months or years of turning cultural bewilderment into concrete understanding may instill not only the ability to ‘think outside the box’ but also the capacity to realise that the box is more than a simple square, more than its simple form, but also a repository of many creative possibilities.”

the authors state this is just the beginning of the research needed but i think they are onto something. living overseas exposes you to different ideas, ways of doing things, mindsets, cultures, etc. you may be exposed to these same things when traveling but it’s not until you need to do those mundane daily things like ordering a coffee or leasing an apartment that the brain needs to kick some creativity into the process and re-learn.

one research question i’d love to see further developed by folks going into this stream is – is your creativity enhanced by the degree of foreignness of the country you choose to live in? for example, an american in japan vs an american in the UK. i think this study was european & americans but i’m not sure what countries the cultural experiences were in (i haven’t read the full article).

hmmm…. had i moved to a country that didn’t speak english and didn’t use the same characters, would my creativity be enhanced more than it is now (having lived in 3 english speaking countries)? maybe i should head to tokyo to find out…

Maddux, W., & Galinsky, A. (2009). Cultural borders and mental barriers: The relationship between living abroad and creativity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96 (5), 1047-1061

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