natural health

Spending Time Here Could Make You More Creative

The next time you’re stumped for an idea, you might want to consider heading to your local coffee shop.  New research published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that ambient noise, like what is found in a busy coffee shop can trigger abstract thinking and generate creative ideas.

The research team led by Ravi Mehta evaluated results from five experiments.  What they found was that a moderate level of ambient noise (70dB) versus a low level of ambient noise (50dB) improves performance on tasks that require creativity.  Additionally, moderate levels of ambient noise also increase the likelihood of purchasing innovative products.   However, too much ambient noise (85dB) actually hinders the creative process.   The researchers states that a moderate level of ambient noise makes processing information more difficult.  This makes an individual think more abstractly, which leads to improved creativity.  On the other hand, a high level of noise actually reduces the information processing that an individual can do, thereby decreasing creativity.  It is important to find a coffee shop that has a moderate amount of noise in order to get your creative juices flowing.

Natural Health Remedies to Improve Creativity

Another way to increase your creativity is to ensure that you are getting adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals.  There are many natural health benefits of vitamins and minerals, including brain health benefits. Vitamins and minerals can affect all aspects of brain health, including memory, endurance, mood, focus and creativity.

Creative thinking requires a lot of processing of information which requires foods that are rich in carbohydrates.  Additionally, omega-3 fatty acids have multiple natural health benefits including allowing the brain to form new pathways for information. Free radical damage to the brain can cause creativity to decline, so preventing this damage is essential.  Free radial damage can be prevented by consuming antioxidants which are found in foods that contain vitamin C and vitamin E.  Citrus fruits, such as oranges contain vitamin C while both vitamin E and C are found in sunflower seeds, broccoli, spinach, tomato, mango and kiwi.  These foods also contain other vitamins and minerals that have natural health benefits.  Eating a healthy diet that consists of complex carbohydrate, omega-3 fatty acids and various vitamins and minerals will help to ensure that your brain stays healthy and will help to keep you thinking creatively.

It looks like going to a coffee shop when you’re in need of a creative boost may be a quick and easy fix.  While you’re there, you might want to order a fresh fruit smoothie that contains lots of vitamins and minerals to give your brain an extra boost!


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