Modern hustle culture teaches us that it’s important to be productive from sun up to sun down, and that the only way to progress is to try twice as hard. Free time is viewed as time when you’re not living up to your potential and connected to traits like laziness and sloth. For freelancers or anyone in a profession where creativity is key, the pressure to fill all your time with work or busy-ness can be even more pronounced. Unlock the creative potential within: Explore how wandering thoughts can foster creativity and innovation in your daily life.
However, research finds that people who enjoy times of leisure and a slower pace might be the most creative of us all! The University of Arizona found that it’s like that principle of “it’s not how much time you have, it’s how you use it”. Creative individuals may find idle time more enjoyable compared to those less inclined to flex their creative muscles.
Stream of Consciousness Study
The study analyzed eighty-one participants who sat alone in a distraction-free room, instructed to let their thoughts wander. They were instructed to voice their thoughts and let their stream of consciousness flow. Participants were not given prompts or categories, a departure from typical psychological research, which often guides participants’ thinking.
The study also included an exercise in divergent thinking, where thoughts were linked and associated with one another. Highly creative individuals felt more engaged when alone with thoughts, reporting less subsequent boredom in self-assessments. They also vocalized more thoughts than those who reported themselves as less creative.
The confirmation came from analyzing nearly three thousand adults who used an online app named Mind Window, developed by a lead researcher. Their focus was on individuals’ feelings during less socially occupied times, as observed in 2020. Creative individuals enjoyed the time alone with their thoughts more than those who didn’t identify as creative.
Taking frequent breaks can boost productivity and creativity, so it helps us rethink where this modern hustle culture is going. Hopefully we can also learn to be more comfortable with time that isn’t completely occupied. And recognize that our minds and bodies can flourish, even if it appears we’re stuck on idle.
Further Reading
Quentin Raffaelli, Rudy Malusa, Nadia-Anais de Stefano, Eric Andrews, Matthew D. Grilli, Caitlin Mills, Darya L. Zabelina, Jessica R. Andrews-Hanna. Creative Minds at Rest: Creative Individuals are More Associative and Engaged with Their Idle Thoughts. Creativity Research Journal, 2023; 1 DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2023.2227477
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