It isn’t always easy to stay positive. Myriad factors can influence our mental health on a given day and negative thoughts can’t always be avoided.
But the scientific connection between positivity and creativity is clear. A good mood makes it easier for your brain to experience those creative leaps – the “lightbulb moments” – that can spark something new.
Keep reading to find out why this is the case and how you can train yourself to be positive and boost creativity in the process.
Maintaining a positive outlook is key to your creativity
People’s brains naturally work in different ways, with neuroscientists often talking about insight versus logic.
Faced with a question, logic requires the brain to queue up possible answers and discount each one in turn until the right answer is landed upon. Insight, on the other hand, is that lightbulb moment when the correct answer pops into your head, seemingly from nowhere.
This sort of problem-solving requires the use of the brain’s anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). And the ACC is better at picking up on these seemingly random ideas when you are in a good mood.
Feelings of positivity free up this area of your brain to search for the hunches and flashes of inspiration that at first glance seem unrelated to the problem at hand.
This finding, of course, also suggests that the opposite is true. That negativity can hamper your ability to think creatively.
So, how do you stay positive and maintain a good mood?
3 simple ways to stay positive and boost your creativity
When you’re in a good mood, you’ll likely feel safe and secure. As well as freeing up your brain to find unlikely connections, you’ll also be more willing to take risks. This is the perfect combination for achieving peak creativity.
To find and maintain a good mood, consider making these three simple steps a part of your daily routine.
1. Practice gratitude
Taking time each day to make a list of things you are grateful for might not sound like it would have a large impact on your mood, but try it, and see the difference it makes.
Being grateful means seeking out and concentrating on the positive things in your life. Putting time aside early in your day to focus on your achievements and successes (whether in work or personal relationships) can help to build and sustain a great mood for the next 24 hours and beyond.
As we have already seen, a good mood can help to encourage insightful thinking, which in turn encourages creativity, improving your mood and creating a positive feedback loop.
In the current post-pandemic climate of a cost of living crisis, political unrest, and a war in Europe, our brains can become conditioned to focus on the negatives.
Training yourself to be grateful could make a huge positive difference to your mood.
2. Adopt a mindfulness routine
Overthinking can hamper your brain’s ACC and make the inspired connections of insight harder to find.
Mindfulness is a great way to clear your brain and focus on “nothing”. This mental space inspires and encourages feelings of calm but can help the ACC too.
Any type of mindfulness or meditation will help but the latest scientific research suggests that the biggest benefit comes from letting thoughts in, rather than shutting them out.
This might mean taking a mindful walk around the area where you live or getting out into nature and forest bathing. Both these activities free up your mind while asking you to focus on the specifics of your environment, whether that’s the rumble of car tyres on the tarmac beneath your feet or the sound of the wind through the trees.
On those occasions when you can’t get outside or into nature, try staying at home and completing a body scan. This technique involves concentrating on becoming more aware of your body, feeling the tingling or heat in your toes before working your way to the top of your head, acknowledging and focusing on the sensations you feel along the way.
3. Exercise regularly and sleep well
Exercise produces endorphins that can lower your stress levels and flood your brain with feelings of wellbeing. It is also great for your physical health more generally.
It can also improve your mental wellbeing, and simply concentrating on the movement and feel of placing one foot in front of the other can be a form of mindfulness.
Exercise can also help you to have a good night’s sleep.
We have previously looked at Why preparing your body for the perfect night’s sleep starts the moment you wake up and The science of sleep: 5 tips for a better night’s rest and both contain useful tips for improving the amount and quality of sleep you get.
Try to adapt to a new routine of mindfulness and sleep and see the difference it makes to your mood and creativity.
