Almost every industry, role, or area of our lives requires creative thinking. In addition to helping us find solutions in business, as business owners or as employees, creative thinking can also help us navigate some of the more complicated social situations we might find ourselves in. The good news is that creativity is not only reserved for artists, musicians, and geniuses. Science has shown that the aural stimulation we get from music can help fuel creativity. This article will focus on some ways music does this.
Listening to Music Makes Us Happier
Studies show that happier people are more imaginative and creative. Additionally, the brains of happier people are more stimulated and thus are always working on new ideas, even subconsciously. Music has a lot of profound effects on our moods; it can dictate how we feel, and one of these emotions is happiness.
To use music to help you become and stay happier, listen to positive, upbeat, and uplifting music. This type of music has been shown to increase the hormones and brain chemicals that are produced when we partake in something we enjoy.
Music Helps Us Focus
It is quite common for people who regularly handle tasks that require a lot of focus and concentration to listen to music. Unlike noise, which has been shown to distract us and divide our attention, the right kind of music helps us focus.
When you are focused, your brain enters an open state that allows for the creation and consideration of more ideas. This process helps us become more creative. This is the main reason why many people in roles that require a lot of creative thinking and problem-solving, like programming or software development, are always listening to music.
Playing Music Improves Ideation
Coming up with new ideas is important in various areas of our lives, notably in business, in school, and our social lives. Learning and playing an instrument has been shown to help the brain perform optimally and to force the person to come up with new ideas during the creative process.
People who play an instrument, be it the piano, guitar or drums have been found to be more creative, imaginative, and to have a much more expansive way of thinking. This is because learning how to play drums or any other instrument boosts ideation and the creative process.
If you want to experience the effects of learning to play an instrument on your creativity and imagination, you can start by learning how to play drums. Pirate.com has an amazing guide meant to help beginners learn the 3 best drum practice routines. Once you learn the basics, you can book a Pirate studio in the US or UK to keep practicing. Their studios have all the instruments you would need to practice and record your sessions if you would like. They are also available 24/7 and always staffed so you can find help any time you need it.
Music Affects Your Mood
We have established above that the right kind of music can change the way we feel. The genre and type of music you listen to can have a profound effect on your mood, and this is why therapists recommend music to some of their patients.
When you are in a better mood, your brain can form certain ideas and go to new imaginative places. Both of these are very important for fueling creativity. Additionally, our mood can affect our productivity, which is often determined by or a determinant of our creativity.
Music Can be a Source of Inspiration
So many people find inspiration in music. This may be due to the mood the song brings out in us, the lyrics, the composition, the rhythm, the melody, or the tone of the music. All of these combine to help some people feel more inspired to come up with new ideas.
Listening to Music Enhances Divergent Thinking
Divergent thinking refers to the mind generating new ideas beyond what is expected, memorized through repetition, or taught. While most of the ideas generated while listening to new music will be derivative ideas from ideas and information we already have or have been taught, some of these ideas will be beyond that. This is divergent thinking.
This is achieved by giving the brain the flexibility it needs to come up with new and innovative ideas and solutions. This flexibility allows us to switch from one perspective to an idea and, by removing this rigidity, helps us see problems from new points of view.
An interesting concept that comes from studies seeking to establish a relationship between music and divergent music is that the effect is still seen even when the participants do not like the music they were listening to.
Music Also Helps with Convergent Thinking
While divergent thinking is opening up the minds and considering ideas outside the normal realm, convergent thinking is narrowing down the ideas you have to come up with one that works best for a situation. Convergent and divergent thinking often go hand in hand, with divergent thinking taking the lead.
Although convergent thinking requires a lot less flexibility and fluency and encourages some level of rigidity, the focus that comes with listening to or playing music helps with finding that one right answer.
Music also Helps with Social Interactions
While many people think that creativity only comes from within, ideas can also be obtained from other people, and it is these ideas that fuel creativity. Music has been shown to help with social interaction development, and so it becomes an important tool in helping us get ideas from others thus helping with our creativity.
From all the studies that have been done on the subject, we can start to understand why a lot of people like listening to happy music while they work, especially if they want to come up with new solutions to old problems. Listening to music is useful in promoting creative thinking efficiently and inexpensively, especially in education, scientific and organizational settings where creative thinking is a requirement.
