What’s the best way to spark new ideas? Several new books and studies are supporting something that Steve Jobs was doing years ago.
Walking boosts creative output by 60 percent.
In his book, Becoming Steve Jobs, Brent Schlender talks about how much Jobs loved “brainstorming walks” in order to talk about deep subjects.
Neuroscience research supports the idea that walking sparks creativity and helps you find novel solutions to problems.
One Stanford study shows that walking boosts creative output by 60 percent. Comparing one group that walked and another that sat when trying to find a novel solution to a problem, the researchers found that most participants were more creative when they walked.
The book The Net and the Butterfly looks at studies that show that breakthrough ideas happen most when the brain switches from the task and goal-focused “executive network” to the “default network” that is responsible for brainstorming and creative solutions. Taking a walk can be one of the most effective ways to get these two parts of the brain to work together.
Our ancestors were constantly on the move. Neuroscientist John Medina, from the University of Washington, says “from an evolutionary perspective, our brains developed while working out, walking as many as 12 miles a day. The brain still craves that experience”.
Walking comes with a variety of health benefits. But neuroscience confirms that it also has a creative benefit and can help you stimulate new ideas.
