Dissertation: Living in multiple cultures and speaking several languages can boost creativity, new research shows
A new doctoral study at the University of Jyväskylä reveals that creativity is shaped by both language and culture. The research by PhD Xiangyu Rong from the Faculty of Information Technology shows that multilingual and multicultural experiences can foster more creative thinking.
The study compared 70 participants from Finland and China, combining behavioral creativity tests, self-report questionnaires, and magnetoencephalography (MEG) brain imaging.
Finnish participants performed better on laboratory creative-thinking tasks, while Chinese participants reported being better in their real-life creative activities. Interestingly, both groups achieved similar levels of creative accomplishment overall.
Xiangyu's results highlight that creativity is not a universal skill, but one influenced by cultural and linguistic experiences. People who spoke more languages, had lived abroad longer, or identified more strongly with individualistic values showed higher creativity scores.
Brain data supported these findings: creative idea generation involved characteristic changes in alpha and beta brainwave patterns, indicating that creativity emerges from coordinated brain dynamics.
The study emphasizes that creativity can be cultivated by broadening cultural horizons and language use.
“Exposure to multiple languages and cultures seems to stretch the mind in ways that promote flexible thinking and idea generation,” Rong explains.
These insights can benefit education, innovation, and cross-cultural teamwork, suggesting that international experiences and language learning are practical ways to enhance creativity in today’s globalized world.
