Triggers for creativity

Last week, I read (another) article of Roos Vonk in the Intermediair (sorry dutch only). She wrote about how your body and mind are not separated and influence each other. As an example, she mentioned a study where people were watching cartoons. One group had a pencil between their teeth (which uses the same muscles as laughing and smiling) and another group had a pencil on their lips (which uses the same muscles as looking sad). The first group found the cartoons much more fun than the second group. So it seems that the way we use our body influences our (state of) mind. This is called embodiment: a physical experience translates to a mental experience.

Also external stimuli can influence thoughts and behavior. Think about a warm cup of coffee or an ice-coffee, holding something heavy (and with that associating importance with that).

Another study she mentioned was one where people were forced with evading behavior (jumping backwards, walking backwards, shaking your head from left to right and back). The study revealed that people with this evading behavior performed better on a task that required attention and concentration.

Although this approach might not be useful in a lot of practices (picture people in a meeting walking backwards with a pencil between their teeth), it shows that thoughts and behavior can be influenced by doing something different. So the lesson Roos is telling is not to wait until you believe, but just do it and the rest will come.