MUSIC & CREATIVE THINKING - A HACK FOR DESIGNERS...!!!- Yakubu Hayim

MUSIC & CREATIVE THINKING – A HACK FOR DESIGNERS…!!!

Thinking creatively is more important than ever in the modern world. Numerous businesses look for creative individuals to join their teams, but the kinds of intricate social issues we confront could also use a healthy dose of ingenuity.

Fortunately, creativity is not just for artists and intellectuals. We all possess the mental ability to generate original thoughts, or what experts refer to as “divergent thinking,” according to modern science. We can all choose the concept that is most likely to succeed from a variety of options, a process known as “convergent thinking.”

We can all improve our ability to solve creative problems, regardless of whether the issues we encounter involve working out technology difficulties at work or the next stages in producing a new painting. We may not all be equally adept at these types of thinking. How is the question.

One recent study investigates music as a catalyst for creativity. It makes sense that music might have an effect on creative thinking as well, given that music has been proven to boost learning, memory, and cognition in other research.

In the experiment, participants completed creative tasks that assessed divergent or convergent thinking while listening to classical music that elicited one of four different emotional states: happiness, calmness, sadness, or anxiety, as opposed to silence (the control scenario).

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The researchers compared participant performance on divergent and convergent thinking in the five scenarios and discovered that listening to upbeat music increased participants’ scores on divergent thinking much more than performing in quiet did. In other words, they produced more overall thoughts as well as more original and creative ideas (as judged by those who were not informed with the purpose of the study). This effect was absent from music of other genres.

The authors state that “the results suggest that listening to happy music increases performance on overall divergent thinking,” implying that it improves the cognitive flexibility required to generate novel solutions—the capacity to switch between various ideas and perspectives rather than approaching the issue from a fixed viewpoint.

It’s interesting to note that the participants’ performance was unaffected by how much they “loved” the music, indicating that the advantages go beyond simple musical enjoyment. Additionally, none of the musical genres had an effect on convergent thinking, which favors coming up with the correct solution over exploring a wide range of options.

The authors speculate that the convergent tasks’ emphasis on obtaining one correct answer, rather than fluency and flexibility, may account for the rise in divergent but not convergent thinking after listening to upbeat music.

It can also be related to the upbeat atmosphere that the music produces. After all, happiness is regarded as a good emotion that, in accordance with psychologist Barbara Fredrickson, broadens our perspective and increases our desire to learn and have fun. Despite the fact that the researchers didn’t directly look at mood changes, there is evidence linking creativity to a good mood, which suggests that this may be the underlying mechanism driving the advantages of joyful music.

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Whatever the case, the findings imply that people might prefer to listen to upbeat music as they work, especially if they need to come up with fresh approaches to a specific issue. In many scientific, educational, and organizational situations where creative thinking is required, the authors conclude, “music listening may be effective to encourage creative thinking in economical and efficient methods.”

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