How to Train Your Brain to Be More Creative in 3 Steps

If you want to be more creative but at the same time your brain is constantly battling negative stress hormones, you probably won’t achieve your goal.

Business success will not happen without the creativity needed to imagine new ideas and future visions. Consider how Steve Jobs’ designs, the product of his natural creativity, have changed the way we interact with devices.

Although we know that creativity is very important, we are pretty bad when it comes to improving ourselves. If we can’t get the best of our own performance and creativity, can we maximize both? Let’s see what science says about this.

1) Reduce Stress

It may seem easy to say, but think about it. If you’re one of those people who realize that you’re less creative under stress and say it’s probably natural, science has an explanation for you. Author Kathleen McAuliffe says:

“Since stress hormones inhibit activity in brain regions involved in goal-seeking and executive function, they cause thought spirals to become paralyzed and, accordingly, derail our projects.”

Stress can be inevitable when you are an employee or entrepreneur. At this point, it may be good to engage in stress-reducing activities such as meditation or keeping a diary. As a result, if you want to be creative and your brain is constantly struggling with negative stress hormones, you will not be able to reach your goal.

2) Get Your Adrenaline

Stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol can affect your ability to be creative. But you can learn to use them. So how exactly does this happen? Brent Rose of Gizmodo described the biological process that distinguishes this type of adrenaline use from the typical and negative stress-related type:

“Most of us produce adrenaline all day in the form of stress. We don’t know what to do with it. Because we’re sitting in our office chairs or in our cars at the time. So we don’t burn that adrenaline. During certain types of exercise, we expend adrenaline and start burning that adrenaline. That’s when the good things start to happen.” “

So consider this. Uncover the “good stuff” by discovering activities that will increase your adrenaline levels. Adidas Gameplan community member Orian Tal said that walking, jogging or lifting weights creates a similar benefit.

You can see the same effect in a horror movie! Try different alternatives until you find the activity that triggers a positive (safe and healthy) adrenaline boost in yourself.

3) Try Something New

Discovering a new adrenaline-inducing activity changes the way your brain processes stress hormones, boosting your creativity. This subject is defined in a study published in the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) as “the ability to reason and solve new problems independently of previously discovered knowledge” and is said to increase fluid intelligence as well.

Better fluid intelligence means more creativity. The beautiful part is that what we call fluid consciousness can be developed consciously. According to Thomas Oppong, the way to do this is to challenge your brain with new stimuli. He explains it this way:

“As you learn new things, experience new activities, your brain reacts to those activities and repeats itself. Anything that relaxes you is not good for your brain development. If something is not challenging you, don’t believe it will change you.”

Let’s get straight to the point… You can increase your fluid intelligence not only by learning to use adrenaline, but also by regularly pursuing new experiences. Something as simple as a new museum exhibit or even an interesting conversation with someone new can do wonders for your creativity.