Apr 26 2009
Voila: Good Science Reporting on Living Abroad and Creativity
New research has revealed that extended travel may be good for creativity and imagination. May. Sacre Jet Bleu! Where shall we fly to, mon ami?
You may ask, How do they know this? Excellente question! Via creativity tests on subjects who have spent substantial amounts of time abroad and those that have not. The data also included an experiment involving the cognitive priming (by recall of travel or living abroad and experiencing a new culture, or not) and a test of creativity.
But for me, more significant than the science involved (not great, not bad) was the science reporting. And relative to other merde I frequently encounter, it was magnifique. And, perhaps as no surprise, it started with the title:
Living outside the box: New evidence shows going abroad linked to creativity.
Merci for that “linked.” And check out the appropriately sober attitude expressed in this paragraph -
Although these studies show a strong relationship between living abroad and creativity, they do not prove that living abroad and adapting to a new culture actually cause people to be more creative. “We just couldn’t randomly assign people to live abroad while others stay in their own country,” said Maddux.
Give that researcher and the writer of the report an ovation! Well done.
