Divergent creativity may be enhanced by listening to upbeat music.

Because it enables us to come up with new ideas and imaginative solutions for a variety of situations, creativity is a valuable trait in our complex, rapidly changing environment. Long-standing research has examined what supports creative cognition, and although music has been demonstrated to improve cognition in the past, little is known about the precise effects of music listening on creative cognition.

What the researchers say: In order to find out how music affects creative cognition, the researchers divided the 155 participants into experimental groups and had them fill out questionnaires. Depending on the emotional valence of the music, each group listened to one of four categories: calming, joyful, sorrowful, or anxious.while quiet was played for one control group. Following the commencement of the music, participants engaged in a variety of cognitive exercises designed to assess their capacity for original thought. In contrast to quiet, the researchers discovered that listening to happy music—which they define as classical music with positive valence and high arousal—promotes more creative thinking. According to the authors, the variables in the joyful music may increase cognitive flexibility, allowing the participant to conceive of other answers that might not have come to them as quickly if they were doing the task in silence.

This study demonstrates that music may improve creative cognition. Future investigations could examine the potential effects of various ambient noises on creativity and involve individuals from a range of age groups, cultural backgrounds,different degrees of musical expertise. What the heck? Given that music has been demonstrated to have significant positive effects on focus and numerous other cognitive domains, it is regrettable that it is being taught in schools less and less. It is thus scarcely surprising that some types of classical music might foster creativity.

In general, music has the power to influence a wide range of actions and emotions. It has been demonstrated that classical music, particularly that of Felix Mendelssohn, Schubert, Delius, and Brahms, aids in the healing process after illness or following surgery. Mood disorders can be effectively treated with music therapy. However, a recent study found that it does not promote plant growth. Retailers frequently utilize music in their stores to try to encourage customers to make purchases.As a behavioral scientist, I think this is a little unethical because it tries to take away people's autonomy.

Now what? It might be a good idea to encourage staff members to listen to music as they work. According to a recent TR study, listening to music did not disrupt focus on the key components of the task at hand. As I type this, I am listening to Frederick Delius' piano concerto in C minor. However, it's crucial that the music be the employee's preference rather than being included in the background noise. There is no proof at all that musak has any positive effects on productivity at work. Thank heavens.