Hands up if you like popping bubble wrap? What about doodling on your notepad during meetings? Or perhaps you’re someone who constantly walks while on the phone?
The supposedly insignificant physical actions that we do, while our brains are thinking of other things, are actually not that insignificant.
In a recent study conducted by scientists at Stanford University, Marilyn Oppezzo and Daniel L. Schwartz proved that walking boosts creative thinking. In the tests, the subjects did the ‘Guilford’s alternate uses’ creative thinking test while seated, while walking and after walking. The results showed that walking increased 81% of participants’ creativity. The highest results were recorded following a walk outside.
But what can you do when you’re deskbound at work to increase your creative thinking and productivity?
It turns out that mini physical actions, like desk games, fidgeting and doodling can also help with brain activation. That’s where Fidget Widgets come in. Designed to help with creativity and productivity, Fidget Widgets are portable digital devices that aim to bring tactile play back into increasingly digital work environments.
According to the website, Fidget Widgets are more than just games - “They are small, tangible, programmable interactions that exist not to accomplish a task but instead to experience the interactions themselves. With them we aim to allow you to choose to create a small boost to creativity or focus or calm while you work just by selecting an interaction you “mindlessly” engage in your physical work space.”
Designed to capitalise on the link between movement, tactile play and brain activation and cognition, these fun mini digital interfaces look set to be the new, improved ‘executive toy’. Currently in the prototype phase, Fidget Widgets, have been tested on the readily available Sifteo Cubes and have received excellent results, so hopefully will be on the market soon.
Turns out we may have more than a bit to learn from the play habits of our kids.
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