Also, the hemispheres control opposite sides of the body — the left hemisphere controlling the right side of the body, and the right controlling the left. It could be, then, that walking, with its continuous involvement of left and right sides of the body as we shift from one foot to the next with each step, accommodates greater communication between the hemispheres in the process of coordinating those movements.
This may further explain why writers are especially fond of walking, since creative writing requires both logical left-hemisphere aspects of the brain (language-recall and grammatical-syntactical construction) and right-brain creative functions (original insight and free association of ideas).
Walking may also offer people “cognitive pause” — something that is known to be an important part of the creative process. Neurologist Vinod Deshmukh asserts that new insights come to us when we “pause and unload” our minds. This process is necessary for creative thinking since otherwise we would be stuck forever in the same preconceptions and patterns of thinking.
What is required for us to pause and unload? A kind of relaxation of the mind, a “letting go” of the problem at hand. That’s why creative inspiration often comes at the oddest times — in the shower or right after waking up from a nap. Walking may offer just that kind of cognitive pause — a chance to relax the mind and empty it of old ideas that just aren’t working.
Walking, in this regard, is similar to another activity that is also known to enhance creativity — meditation. Meditation likely boosts creativity because it encourages practitioners to “empty the mind,” a task not unlike the cognitive pause that Deshmukh claims is necessary for new insights.
Walking may be naturally meditative for a couple of reasons. First, it is relaxing — it releases tension from the muscles of the body through light exercise and distracts the mind from its own busyness. Secondly, it is a rhythmic activity. Each step and swing of the arms creates a distinct cadence. Rhythm is known to lower brainwave frequency, as studies of the therapeutic value of drumming have confirmed. This, again, is an effect almost identical to meditation. The lowest brainwave frequency possible while still remaining conscious is experienced right before sleep and while waking up — alpha waves. Keeping the brain in an alpha-brainwave state appears to be the best state for creative thought.
Walking meditation practices, such as those taught by Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, seek to increase practitioners’ level of mindfulness and awareness as they walk. Research about walking meditation is limited at this point, but one study on diabetes patients found that walking provided stress-reducing results comparable to both light exercise and regular meditation practice. It stands to reason that the practice of walking meditation might also enhance one’s creative abilities, since it emphasizes and enhances the mind-calming benefits of both walking and meditation.
Hippocrates once wrote, “Walking is man’s best medicine.” That is certainly true physically, and it seems to be the best medicine for our creative minds, too. The next time you need a creative solution to a problem you feel stuck on, don’t sit there obsessing about it — let it go and take a hike.
This article is updated from its initial publication in Brain World Magazine.
