Making It Alone: 5 Ways Solitude Can Spark Creativity

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Psychologists Christopher Long and James Averill once described the longstanding connection between solitude and creativity as “so ubiquitous that it has become almost a cliché: the scientist alone in a laboratory, the writer in a cabin in the woods, or the painter in a bare studio”. But how does solitude bolster imagination, unlock ingenuity, and foster inspiration? According to psychological research, here are five ways that solitude really can spark creativity.

1. The Shower Effect

If you do your best thinking in the shower, you are not alone. The most common locations where people have sudden insights (“aha!” moments) include in the shower, during transport, and while exercising. Although you may not always engage in these activities alone, these experiences all typically offer a break from the constant information stream we are exposed to when socially engaging with others. Solitude offers a respite from this input and lets our mind start to wander. Such free thinking seems to stimulate the areas of our brain known as the default mode network, which fosters cognitive flexibility (i.e., thinking outside the box). In short, if you are stuck on something, let your ideas incubate by taking a break (or a shower or a drive or a walk)!

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2. Look Forward to Daydreams

A meandering mind can be a gateway to creativity. But sometimes our thoughts can wander off to bad places – and ruminating (repeatedly thinking negative thoughts) can make us feel sad and anxious. To help with this, try to look forward instead of looking back. Florence Ruby and colleagues found that mind wandering about the past and focused on others was more likely to put people in a worse mood. In contrast, daydreaming about the future and with a focus on oneself was found to increase positive mood. Letting your mind wander when you are alone can open up new avenues of thoughts and help you solve problems. However, it is also important to be mindful of your mind wandering. For some people, daydreams can morph into daymares.

3. Playing the Right Solo

Are there specific things we can do to get our creative juices flowing when alone? According to research by Benjamin Baird, you need to find the “sweet spot” between boring and demanding. Participants were asked to list unusual uses for common objects as a test of their creativity, but under different conditions. The results were striking. People who took a break and engaged in a mildly demanding task (labelling odd vs. even numbers on a screen) produced more new ideas than those who engaged in more demanding tasks, did nothing during the break, or who did not have a break at all. Doing something – but something that is not overly demanding – appears to be most helpful in terms of allowing the brain to solve problems. Why? Because during these ‘not too demanding’ tasks, your mind is free to wander, and it goes places that basically help you connect the dots in your head.

4. Let it Flow, Let it Flow, Let it Flow

Another phenomenon also linked with creativity is flow. This influential concept was conceived of by psychologist Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi as an “optimal experience” (i.e., being in the zone). Flow is a state of being deeply absorbed in a specific activity, feeling confident and un-self-conscious, and losing track of yourself and your surroundings. Most often described among elite athletes, states of flow have also been documented among writers, artists, outdoor adventures, and gamers. Although some have argued that solitude is necessary to achieve true states of flow, such experiences do also occur in social contexts. However, personality seems to matter here. Liu and Csikszentmihalyi found that participants who were more extroverted reported more frequent flow during social activities, whereas introverts were more likely to experience flow while in solitude. Nevertheless, Csikszentmihalyi noted many other benefits of solitude and offered this advice near the end of this paper, “interacting with others can be a good source of an enjoyable life, but one has to learn to enjoy solitude as well to complete some of life tasks that demand absolute concentration.”

5. Getting Your Balance

Although solitude provides unique opportunities, we cannot discount the roles of collaboration and discussion in the creative process. As with many things in life, the best option is a balanced one. Runa Korde and Paul Paulus found that people who alternated between solitary and groups brainstorming sessions generated more new ideas than those who either just brainstormed alone or just brainstormed with a group. In some phases of the creative process, periods of solitude will be helpful to fully develop our ideas, engage in intense research, or allow for mind wandering to encourage new avenues of thinking. However, it is also important to be exposed to others’ perspectives, bounce ideas off others, and seek their feedback. There is a good lesson here. Sociable people tend to seek out more collaborative settings, whereas those who prefer being alone retreat to solitude to pursue creative endeavors. However, it seems as though both contexts provide unique benefits for this process.

So, what can we take away from all of this? Solitude is a great incubator for ideas. To help get unstuck with a problem, take a break and spend some time alone. Choose a solo activity that will let your mind wander; ideally, something that is just the right amount between ‘not too boring’ and ‘not too engaging’. And to further help with the creative process, alternate between episodes of being alone and time with others. This “balanced” approach will not only spark creativity, but also bolster your general well-being.