Could a trip to the bar be the key to creativity?

You've probably never heard someone say "Honey, I'm going to the bar, I'm more productive there." but you might be hearing it soon...

It sounds strange, I know, but hear me out. As outlandish as it might seem, if you are of legal age to drink, a bar could be an ideal place to get your creative juices flowing. Whilst excessive drinking is not good for your creative capacity nor your brain cells in general, a few drinks at a social evening with your friends, a few drinks with your mother or a romantic dinner with your partner, alcohol could be the key to sparking your next writing inspiration.

There's a reason why many artists, composers and creative genii conceive their finest work under the influence of alcohol. A night in the town has been proven in the Journal, Consciousness and Cognition, to improve one's creative capacity (sort of). As a result of alcohol’s ability to diminish an individual's capability to think methodically and limit task focus, it in turn allows your brain to run free. This is because it gets far too distracted by other tasks and/or stimuli to function normally. In turn, this improves one’s ability to problem solve in a creative manner as those stimuli that are normally ignored now become a catalyst for ingenuity. Cool hey. Plain and simple, allowing your brain to be in a different state will allow for new, unique and differing perspectives on everything around you.

If you're not too keen on the idea of alcohol yourself, bars can still be a great place to fuel creative thinking. The Journal of Environmental Psychology has proposed that environments that are dimly lit (e.g. bars) are ideal for creativity as they unconsciously make you feel less constrained, freer and more willing to take risks. Similarly, a University of Chicago study proves that environments with ambient noise also help support creative thinking as it increases the difficulty of logical processing, in turn promoting abstract processing and creativity. Environments that are too quiet allow for a sharp focus and environments that are too loud overwhelm the brain, both of which are important to creative thinking. Evidently, bars create an environment that is highly conducive to creative thinking, irrespective of what takes places within them. In conjunction, chances are, you haven't worked in a bar, in fact they're most likely a far cry from your typical work environment. Since it can then be considered a foreign environment (for working at least) a recent study has proven it is likely to boost creativity. Worst comes to worst, just watch people. You’d be surprised at the inspiration you can get from the now increasingly creative people surrounding you.

Whatever type of evening you have got planned, we'd recommend just jotting down a few notes or ideas that spring into your head. Trying to write a whole chapter is bound to spell trouble, enjoy your evening instead and come back to it in the morning.