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What is divergent thinking and what it has to do with music? Creativity is not reserved for artists and geniuses alone. Modern science suggests that we all have the cognitive capacity to come up with original ideas—something researchers call divergent thinking. A new study found that listening to “happy” music — defined as tunes that were upbeat and stimulating — helped people perform better on tasks that involved divergent thinking, which is basically coming up with new, outside-the-box ideas or strategies, a core component of creativity. Why does happy music stimulate thinking differently? Right now we can only speculate. One theory put forward in the study is that the stimulating nature of lively music energizes the brain in ways that promote a flexible thinking style. There are other theories. Research has shown that listening to music can lower anxiety and improve mood, and these shifts could facilitate creative insights. If someone is anxious, this anxiety tends to cause a person to focus and
