#51: Walking for Creativity

Charles Dickens the prolific 19th century writer lived with chronic insomnia. To help his condition he wandered many miles through the moonlit streets of London, after which he hoped to grab a few hours of restful sleep. This midnight habit also provided him with another benefit, which has helped entertain millions over the years – inspiration.

Imagine London in the 1840s – grimy characters stumbling onto the cobbles from dingy taverns, street boys causing mischief, beggars and ruffians adding to the atmosphere. All marinating on the page to create the Artful Dodger, Bill Sikes and the other main protagonists in Oliver Twist. 

Or maybe helping to shape Ebeneezer Scrooge’s character in ‘A Christmas Carol’ which Dickens pieced together in a 6-week frenzy, whilst walking over 20 miles a day. Virginia Woolf would also roam the streets of London, with a notepad in hand gathering ideas as she went, before stopping at her sister's house to write.

It’s not just literary greats who lauded long walks. Charles Darwin had a specific trail he walked several times a day when he hit a block, Albert Einstein took daily hikes to unravel his thoughts and Steve Jobs held his meetings on the go.

Current research is lending support to the anecdotal evidence that walking helps creative thinking. Stanford researchers Oppezzo and Schwartz in a 2014 study, found that walking increased idea generation, also known as divergent thinking by 60%. 

They tested this over 4 experiments by asking participants to list potential solutions to a problem or find alternate uses for an object such as a tyre within a 3-minute period. 

This creativity boost was greater when walking outside in nature, but still significant whilst walking inside on a treadmill. It was the act of walking itself, more so than just being outside, which caused an increase in ideation.

A recent meta study completed earlier in 2024, by Chen et al, concluded that walking and potentially other forms of moderate exercise or dance can significantly boost creative thinking. This was in contrast to high intensity exercise, which despite it's other numerous benefits, appears to be less effective than moderate exercise for divergent thinking.

One note to make is that walking isn't a panacea for all types of creative thinking. It doesn’t appear to increase convergent thinking, which often follows ideation and is our ability to narrow a range of options down to a logically sound solution. Nonetheless, walking is a cheap, easy and effective way to increase our creative thinking.

WISDOM 💎

“Short active breaks at schools and in the workplace can rejuvenate people’s creativity and problem-solving.”

Dr Chong Chen (2024 Study)

Tip 1 - A SMART PLAY ✅

Take your ideation sessions on the go, whilst walking in nature or if that’s not an option perhaps jump on a treadmill or walk round the block to break those creative blocks.

Tip 2 - AVOID 🚩

Staying sat down for hours on end, without regularly movement breaks.

Tip 3 - ACTION 💪

What’s the best time of the day for you to get a solo walk in? Actively plan it in your calendar and set an alarm if necessary to remind you to go!

"Any motion whatsoever beats inertia, because inspiration will always be drawn to motion."

Elizabeth Gilbert (Author - Big Magic)

P.S. I'm off for a walk! ;)