This is the music that empowers your divergent thinking

Upbeat, upbeat music facilitates divergent creative thinking, according to new research.

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Put yourself in a quiet environment. Or with a classic musical background: it could be a slow rhythm, which conveys tranquility (for example Carnival of the Animals: XIII. The Swan of Saint-Saens); a fast, cheerful pace (like Vivaldi's La Primavera); either a slow and sad progress (Barber's Adagio for Strings) or, on the contrary, tight and anxious (Mars, Holst's War-bearer). Change your creativity?

You can try it by experimenting and seeing the effect the different songs have on your performance. The alternative is to immediately trust a study conducted by Simone M. Ritter and Sam Ferguson; the results are pretty clear: listening to upbeat music facilitates divergent creative thinking.

According to Joy Paul Guilford, an American psychologist, the divergent thinking is the ability to produce more alternative solutions to a given problem (and it differs from convergent thinking which, on the contrary, emphasizes accuracy and logic, applies conventional research, recognition and decision-making strategies). The Pdivergent creative ensiero it requires creativity, fluidity, flexibility, ability to look - rearrange - rethink - organize - imagine things and elements available in an unconventional or ordinary way; creating unexpected combinations, recognizing links between remote associates or transforming information into unexpected data.

Are creatives born or made? Surely there are spontaneous, innate talents, but it is equally certain that both those who possess them effortlessly that all the others can put to good use, enrich and develop their creativity: it is a continuous work to "get in touch", learn to dialogue and then apply it. So, whatever our individual (current) level of divergent thinking, the good news is that we can all facilitate, train and increase it.

The tools that science has shown to be effective are numerous (among the best known, brainstorming) but there is no doubt that the easiest way, for anyone, is thelistening to music (it can be easily integrated into our daily life and - explain the researchers - "it can provide an innovative means to facilitate creative knowledge in all contexts - scientific, educational and organizational - in which creative thinking is useful or necessary") united to the good mood (studies show that it improves the ability to use divergent thinking, facilitates cognitive flexibility and therefore originality, fluidity)

So, summing up, when you need a new twist, if you need to find another way, different solutions, if you are looking for inspiration, ban on silence: we put in the background a beautiful music, activating (rhythmic) and cheerful. Facilitates the expansion and creative connection of that moment. And if the inner disposition is also cheerful or at least serene, the effects will add up. So ... what do you think, let's go, let's start with Vivaldi?

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