Improving creative reasoning through immersion in natural settings

We spend more and more time interacting with media and using technology and less and less time in nature.

A study showed that the ability to solve creative problems dramatically improves when you’re in the wild with no technological equipment (e.g. smartphone). For this purpose, test persons spent 4 days in American nature parks without any technological equipment. Before and after the hike, they each had tasks that required creative solutions. Test results improved by up to 50% after staying in nature.

The researchers’ conclusion: the use of technological equipment as well as life in the urban environment require a lot of attention and reduce the ability to concentrate. A stay in nature without the use of technology, on the other hand, promotes creative thinking, mainly driven by contact with the stimuli of nature.
Go outside!

(Source: Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning through Immersion in Natural Settings, Atchley RA)