Regular Exercise Boosts Creativity

We all know that kids benefit from regular exercise in many physical and emotional ways, but now research shows that regular exercise can also boost creativity. A new study in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience shows that regular exercisers do better on tests of creativity than their more sedentary peers.  To determine the association between exercise and creativity, researchers had 48 athletes (who exercised at least four times a week) and 48 non-athletes (who didn’t regularly exercise) do a creativity test.  Researchers found that the regular exercisers did better on the creativity test than those who didn’t regularly exercise.

The three elements of fitness are endurance (aerobic activity), strength, and flexibility. Just to be healthy, every child should get at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day – add a bit more over the coarse of the week for an additional creativity boost.   “Exercising on a regular basis may act as a cognitive enhancer promoting creativity in inexpensive and healthy ways,” stated study researcher Lorenza Colzato, a cognitive psychology at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

So, get your kids up off the couch and get them moving. RUN. JUMP. CREATE.