It’s always great to find a book, other than a cook book, that doesn’t require a read from cover to cover to benefit from its pages!

The Creativity Formula: 50 scientifically proven creativity boosters for work and for life is a lot of fun to dip into. You can choose chapters at random and independently, learning ways to create creativity, gaining inspiration for your next project quickly.

Great for us girls on the go!

This book is not your normal self-help or problem solving book offering endless pages of opinions but actually scientifically proven ways to improve your creativity by using your brain. Author Dr Amantha Imber, an organisational psychologist draws on her experience in the field as well as international research.  It is filled with unexpectedly simple, scientifically-proven ways to immediately boost creativity.

Ever heard someone say, “You’re so creative”? Well, according to the Creativity Formula we all have it in us; it’s just how we use our heads.

The book states several factors can affect our creativity and in Chapter 2 – Don’t Worry Be Happy, it shows us how “Our emotional state, in fact, has a big impact on our ability to be creative” exemplifying studies that prove people are actually more creative when they are happy.

Other chapters highlight scientifically proven studies showing us the secrets to unlocking our inner creativity, such as…

WHAT: Squeeze your left hand for a couple of minutes before undertaking a task that requires creative thought.
WHY: Activities involving the left-hand side of our bodies activate a specific part of the right hemisphere of our brains, which helps us think more creatively.

WHAT: Stare at a picture of a punk for two minutes.
WHY: When we are exposed to an image that is all about standing out and being different from the norm, this sends a message to our brain which unconsciously make us start to act in this way.  

WHAT: Raise your eyebrows for several minutes while completing a task that requires creative thought.
WHY: Broadening your knowledge and experience is an effective way to increase creativity.  Facial expressions associated with widening our visual perception have a positive effect on creativity.

WHAT: Have an Xbox or Playstation available to use at work.
WHY: Playing a video game increases your energy levels and makes you feel happy, leading to more creative problem-solving.

Each chapter offers tips for individuals and organizations on how to improve their creativity in life and the work place. It’s actually quite fascinating reading the science behind our creativity as individuals. All-in-all a very beneficial and easy read on a subject we can all benefit from.

www.ExplorerGirls.com / Courtney Crow

The Creativity Formula: 50 scientifically proven creativity boosters for work and for life (Liminal Press, October 2009). www.thecreativityformula.com