Creative people are more likely to make the most of their idle (空闲的) time during a typical day by exploring their mind, a new study by University of Arizona researchers suggests.
In the study, the researchers divided the study into two parts. For the first experiment, the researchers asked each participant to sit alone in a room for 10 minutes without any access to digital devices. In the absence of any particular prompt (提示), the participants were asked to speak out their thoughts aloud in real time. The recorded files from 81 participants were then analyzed.
The researchers assessed the participants’ creativity through a thinking test, a lab-based verbal test that measures a person’s ability to think outside of the box. Participants who performed well in the thinking test had thoughts that flowed freely and were associated with one another, often indicated by phrases such as “this reminds me of” or “speaking of which”.
“While many participants had a tendency to jump between seemingly unrelated thoughts, creative individuals showed signs of thinking more associatively,” Raffaeli said, who was a senior author of the paper.
The first experiment also found that creative people were more engaged in their thoughts when they were left alone without distractions (干扰), such as the cellphone and Internet. “Creative people rated themselves as being less bored, even over those 10 minutes. They also spoke more words overall, which indicated that their thoughts were more likely to move freely,” Raffaeli said.
To further prove their initial findings, the researchers extended their study in the context of a much larger span of time—from 2020 to 2023 when many people were alone with their thoughts more often. For the second experiment, over 2,600 adults answered questions through a smartphone app called Mind Window. Participants who self-identified as being creative reported being less bored and more engaged in their thoughts during that period.
The researchers are continuing this line of work using their Mind Window app. They encourage people to download and use the app to help scientists understand how people across the world think in their everyday lives. “Understanding why different people think the way they do may lead to promising interventions to improve health and well-being,” Raffaeli said.
12. What were the participants asked to do in the first experiment?
A.Play digital devices for just 10 minutes. |
B.Voice their thoughts quickly when asked. |
C.Observe and record each other’s performance. |
D.Make self-assessment in a thinking test. |
13. What was the feature of the creative participants in the study?
A.They often had associated ideas. |
B.They thought of anything as a reminder. |
C.They preferred to sit alone without being distracted. |
D.They tended to jump between unrelated thoughts. |
14. Why did the researchers encourage people to use Mind Window?
A.To analyze their own thoughts. | B.To try out the function of the app. |
C.To keep track of their thinking. | D.To improve their own mental well-being. |
15. What can be the best title for the text?
A.Idle Time Makes Creative People |
B.Creative Thoughts Appear in Idle Time |
C.Creative People Are Less Affected by Distraction |
D.Creative People Enjoy Idle Time More Than Others |