New study reveals how creativity can help you feel less bored

A new study conducted by the University of Arizona has found a causal relationship between creativity and an individual's capacity to feel less bored by using their spare time effectively by taking part in activities that are mentally stimulating and fruitful.

The study also found that creative individuals were more likely to be able to form coherent thoughts when posed with an emergency situation that required them to think instantaneously.

Moreover, these individuals were the ones who, during the COVID-19 pandemic, felt the least bored and made the most of their free time.

Quentin Raffaeli, lead study author and graduate student in the University of Arizona Department of Psychology, talked about their motive for conducting the study and said:

“I am particularly interested in creativity because we wanted to know what’s going on in the mind of creative individuals, especially in situations where nothing constrains their thoughts”

Jessica Andrews-Hanna, senior author of the study and associate professor at the Department of Psychology speaking about the need for creativity said:

"In today’s busy and digitally connected society, time to be alone with one’s thoughts without distraction may be becoming a rare commodity."

---

How was creativity measured among individuals that were being studied?

A new study finds out that those who are more creative in nature are less likely to be bored during idle hours (Image via freepik/vecstock)

The study was first divided into two parts in which two types of experiments were conducted on the sample population.

Firstly, all the participants were asked to sit in a room for 10 minutes without using any digital mediums for entertainment purposes. Then they were asked to audibly express their thoughts in the absence of any cue.

The researchers then analyzed the creativity of the participating individuals through a “divergent thinking test", a test that determines the capability of individuals to think creatively.

Based on the test, it was found that “while many participants had a tendency to jump between seemingly unrelated thoughts, creative individuals showed signs of thinking more associatively."

Moreover, it was found that creative people were more easily able to form coherent thoughts in the absence of external diversions like mobile phones and the internet. They also rated themselves lower on the boredom scale, even after crossing the threshold time limit of 10 minutes.

For the second experiment, the study was extended to include the level of boredom people felt during the COVID-19 pandemic. 2,600 individuals were assessed for the study based on the answers they gave to a select few questions through an app called Mind Window.

Based on the findings, it can be deduced that individuals who identified themselves as being creative, experienced less boredom as compared to the ones who did not.

---

What does this study based on creativity mean in the long run?

One of the primary precursors to creative thinking is the presence of a distraction-free environment (Image via freepik/vecstock)

As we are becoming more and more tech-savvy by the day, it becomes increasingly important for us to remain grounded in our surroundings. This can only happen when you actively engage with the environment around you on a regular basis, and some time off work and other activities to partaking in creative thinking.

Although the role of cell phones and the internet in our daily lives is undeniable, it is important that we take moments of rest from it for our mental and physical well-being.

However, this does not mean we spend more idle time, but instead, it insinuates that we spend more time discovering and channelling our creativity into things we are passionate about. These can include drawing, cooking, knitting, and reading.

---

The study conducted on creativity and the importance of being able to form sequential modes of thinking in the absence of external distractions is an important one as it motivates us to focus on what is truly important, i.e. development of the mind and, that can only be achieved through creative thinking.