You’ve probably heard that studies have shown that children are more creative than adults.
The “Paperclip Test,” in particular, is often used to show that 98% of 5-yr olds, 30% of 10-yr olds, 12% of 15-yr olds, and just 2% of adults tested in the “genius” range, determined by the number of ideas they had about how to use paperclips. This test tests divergent thinking, in other words ideas that do not have to go together, work, or make sense.
As a creative adult, I have a lot of questions about this test.
Perhaps that is evidence of my divergent thinking – questioning the authorities. It has gotten me in trouble plenty of times.
Questions are often interpreted as attacks or judgments. (This will play into my point.)
As a creative adult, I know first-hand that actually creating something requires BOTH divergent and convergent thinking.
If it didn’t work, is it finished?
Do we credit Thomas Edison for inventing the incandescent lightbulb before it was successful? No! Thomas Edison went through many versions of lightbulbs before it was a success. Divergent thinking allowed him to try more things, but convergent thinking helped him learn from previous attempts how to make the new attempt better.
Mulling over ways to use a paperclip is not necessarily a test of creativity. It is only a test of divergent thinking. Could the test subjects actually create something and use their paperclips in the way they imagined?
In my elementary school art class, we sometimes made things out of clay. Those were some of my favorite school memories. Many of the students made mugs. Others made some sort of platter, I guess. I decided one year I was going to make a coin purse.
Yes, a coin purse.
There’s divergent thinking for you.
Did it work? I think you know the answer.
No, a clay coin purse is not a coin purse. Once the clay is dry, it cannot open and close to hold coins. I was probably old enough to know better when I made it, and I cannot for the life of me understand why I thought this was a good idea. I joke about it know and say it is my interpretation of a coin purse found in an archeological dig.
But my point is: did I create a clay coin purse? No.
That said…
A base of divergent thinking is necessary as a bed of new ideas to draw from so that convergent thinking can narrow them down and allow the best options to be picked. The best ideas cannot be found if there is an insufficient number of ideas at the start.
The divergent thinking test is still very important.
WHY are 98% 5-yr olds, yet only 2% of adults, divergent thinkers?
This is my hypothesis:
Children have more divergent thinking because they are 1) more curious and 2) less judgmental.
Children, by nature, know nothing about the world. They live in utter wonder, curious about everything. That is why they ask “why?” They are constantly exploring, even when they put stuff in their mouths as young babies.
Children ask “why?” and they ask “what if?”
I asked myself, “what if?” once. When I was three, I said to myself, “I wonder what would happen if I somersaulted down the stairs?” And so, I tried it.
It didn’t end well. I told you my divergent thinking sometimes gets me in trouble.
A normal adult would have enough experience to use convergent thinking to discern that idea is a bad one.
No discernment is problematic. This is why young children need constant supervision. They don’t have the discernment to know what ideas to act on and which to avoid.
But, on the other side, too much judgment squelches creativity.
Convergent thinking can get too tight when it quickly assesses ideas as “bad” or “impractical” before they have had a chance to be tested.
Of course, there needs to be a balance between divergent and convergent thinking.
But when it comes to wondering why adults lack divergent thinking, we need to olook back on why children are so good at it.
Are adults less curious and more judgmental?
I would argue yes.
Most adults have established their patterns and are satisfied enough to not explore further. They know the food they like and make the same things for meals because it’s easy. They know how to get to work and are not likely to “go a different way” just because. That would be a waste of time.
These are simple examples, but it’s easy to get stuck in the everyday sameness. It’s comfortable. As the saying goes, don’t fix what’s not broken.
Many look at the world and see the status quo. They believe they know “what works” and “what doesn’t work” – or they are unwilling to take the risk of failure to see if something might work.
No wonder only 2% of the adult population uses a significant amount of divergent thinking. It’s super risky!
I understand that, to a degree.
But when it extrapolates into, “I’m not going to entertain new ideas or experiences” the lack of newness leads to the quenching of creativity.
The same way a lack of an influx of fresh water leads to stagnation in a pond.
People like to blame “school” on the crushing of creativity.
But it is not school per se that destroys divergent thinking. It is authorities. It could be a teacher. It could be a parent. A church leader. A coach.
The decrease in creativity is not due to knowledge. It is due to the suppression of curiosity, the development of judgmental attitudes, and an over-focus on maintaining the status quo and following the rules. Knowledge alone does not cause those problems. Instead, it is the cultural and emotional environment in which one learns or is raised.
(That said, I am aware that, more and more, teachers’ ability to be creative in the classroom is hampered by those in authority over them. But it is important to point out that the squashing of divergent thinking can happen in other places, too, and is not simply a school problem.)
Some in authority will entertain the questions: Why? What if? Can I try something different? Good teachers, parents, leaders and coaches will supervise and even explore with their student, kid, or protégé to help them investigate those questions in a safe way and understand the results. They may even come to accept answers they don’t like.
The good news is that some people will bust through the limitations. For them, the pressure to conform will only cause their inner fire to think differently to burn hotter. Some might call them “strong-willed.”
But most will accept the constraints, which over time become self-imposed.
There is a way to break free from the ho-hum and embrace divergent thinking and become more creative. Adults may need to get some oil on the creaky creative joints that haven’t been used for a while.
But that doesn’t mean they can’t be creative.
Creativity is not out of reach for adults. It is not something that disappears. It only gets buried, hidden. It can be revived with practices that encourage exploration, wonder, and divergent thinking.
Creativity is not a skill one has or doesn’t have. It is a mindset that can be changed.
How to do that is something I will cover in a future post.
Let me know your thoughts! Do you consider yourself creative? Why or why not? What role does divergent/convergent thinking play in your life? Tell me about it in the comments or send me a message here.