Diagrams of the environmental chamber. Participants were allowed to choose one of the numbered (green) desks on the first day and this was assigned to them for 6 weeks. The window illusion is indicated by (I). IAQ indicators were measured on a cart raised 1.5 m from the floor in the middle of the room located in (II), 1 m from the participants. The fan operates at 300 L/s and the FCU indicates that the fan coil operates at 150 L/s. The filter housing has been designed with hidden slots dedicated to carbon and PM filters and the adjustable fresh air inlet allows the ventilation rate to be varied. Credit: Scientific reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42355-z
Office air quality can affect our level of creativity at work, scientists from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) have found.
Working with global air filter manufacturer Camfil on a joint research project, NTU Singapore scientists discovered in a study that high levels of volatile organic compounds (gases released by products such as detergents, pesticides, perfumes, aerosols and paint) affected the study. the creativity of participants when asked to build 3D models with LEGO bricks.
Using statistical analysis, the NTU team estimated that reducing total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) by 72% could improve a student’s creative potential by 12%.
TVOC is an indicator that refers to the volume of volatile organic compounds present in the air. Indoor VOCs are emitted from interior decoration sources such as paints and carpets and from household products such as detergents and air fresheners.
This study, carried out at the NTU Smart Campus, is part of a partnership between the University and Camfil to investigate the impact of indoor air quality on adults’ cognitive performance, testing various air filter technologies air in tropical weather conditions and provide clean and innovative air. solutions combined with optimized energy efficiency.
The results detailed in the study, published in Scientific reports in September, shed light on the importance of indoor air quality on our creative cognition, said the research team led by Assistant Professor Ng Bing Feng and Associate Professor Wan Man Pun, cluster directors for smart and sustainable building technologies at the Energy Research Institute.
Assistant Professor Ng said: “While most people would correctly associate indoor air quality with effects on the lungs, particularly since we have only just emerged from a pandemic, our study shows that it could also impact the mind and creative cognition, or the ability to use knowledge in an unconventional way. Our results suggest that relatively low levels of TVOC, even if well below the accepted threshold, could have an impact on an individual’s creative potential.
Professor Wan added: “This could have serious consequences for industries that rely on creativity for most of their work. For example, artists often use paints and thinners that release high levels of volatile organic compounds and may not be aware that they need adequate ventilation to “
Other scientists on the research team were NTU Ph.D. graduate Dr. Shmitha Arikrishnan, former NTU principal investigator Dr. Adam Charles Robert, who is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the ETH Singapore Center, and Lau Wee Siang , graduated from NTU.
As part of the study, participants were asked to build 3D models with LEGO bricks in response to a challenge presented to them. Through the study, the research team discovered that high levels of volatile organic compounds (gases released by products such as detergents, pesticides, perfumes, aerosols, paint) affected the creativity of participants in the study when they were asked to build 3D models with LEGO bricks. . Credit: NTU Singapore
Assess creativity through LEGO 3D models
To quantifiably assess the creative potential of this study, the NTU team developed the “Serious Brick Play” method, largely adapted from the LEGO Serious Play framework. This tool involves expressing thoughts and ideas using 3D models built with LEGO bricks.
A typical LEGO Serious Play session involves a facilitator presenting a challenge to which participants respond by building a model using LEGO bricks. Participants then discuss their models and reflect on the construction process, at the prompting of the facilitator.
In the Serious Brick Play method designed by the NTU team, participants do not discuss their models and share their thoughts as a group. Instead, they provide written descriptions of their LEGO models. These written descriptions and LEGO models are then rated by a creativity jury.
Assistant Professor Ng explained: “Although the LEGO Serious Play framework has been used in various contexts to unlock creative thinking and has even been used to support dementia patients, it does not have a quantitative assessment component and cannot systematically assess creativity. That’s why we added a component to rate participants on their creativity.
The scoring guidelines for participants’ LEGO models were developed based on the Creative Product Analysis Matrix model, which is used to score creativity and has been validated in previous studies, he added.
NTU researchers tested the scoring guidelines to measure the degree of consistency between different judges when they independently rated the LEGO models, and concluded that the scoring guidelines provided were reliable.
The researchers also tested the Serious Brick Play method’s ability to measure what it was designed to do through statistical analyzes and found that the method was able to cover key aspects of the Alternative Uses Task, a well-established tool. known that assesses creativity. Specifically, it assesses divergent thinking, a thought process used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions.
Researchers said the Serious Brick Play method additionally assesses another thought process called convergent thinking, which focuses on finding a single, well-established answer to a problem.
“Divergent and convergent thinking are believed to be the core element of creativity, but most existing tools are designed around divergent thinking. Our Serious Brick Play method adds value by also covering the thinking aspect convergent,” said Assistant Professor Ng.
A team of scientists from NTU Singapore, in collaboration with global air filter manufacturer Camfil, has discovered that air pollutants commonly found indoors (monitored by various equipment on the blue table) could impact creativity. Credit: NTU Singapore
How the study was carried out
Over six weeks, researchers collected data from a sample of 87 undergraduate and postgraduate students in a controlled environment simulating an indoor workspace. Each week, during three 40-minute sessions, study participants read a summary of a global issue such as climate change, mental health and poverty, then proposed a solution by building a 3D model using LEGO bricks. Participants were then asked to provide a written description and explanation of their models.
During each session, the researchers varied the air quality of the workspace using different combinations of air filters provided by Camfil. This caused the level of pollutants in the air to vary, including carbon dioxide and particulate matter.2.5 (air pollutants less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter) and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC).
Participants’ LEGO models and descriptions were then scored by seven randomly selected adults, who were trained to become familiar with the scoring guidelines based on:
- Originality: whether the solution is usual or unusual,
- Mastery: the level of elaboration in the description of the solution, and
- Build: How sophisticated, complex or aesthetic the solution is.
The study involved collecting data from study participants in an environment simulating an indoor workspace, with varying air quality depending on the different combination of air filters used. The air filters used (also pictured) came from Camfil, NTU’s industry partner for the study. Credit: NTU Singapore
Link between TVOC levels and creativity
The NTU team’s statistical analysis of participants’ average scores and indoor air quality data collected across 18 sessions found that participants tended to come up with creative solutions with lower scores – a indicator of lower creative potential – when the workspace had higher TVOC levels.
Using a statistical model, the team calculated that reducing TVOCs from an acceptable threshold of 1,000 parts per billion to 281 parts per billion, a 72% reduction in TVOC levels, resulted in a 12% increase in creative potential in the cohort studied.
Less significant relationships were found between PM2.5 and creativity as well as carbon dioxide levels and creativity.
Assistant Professor Ng said: “The results of this study indicate that creativity levels may be linked to the concentration of pollutants in a room. Improving air quality could be a cost-effective solution to improve occupant creativity.
After discovering a link between TVOC levels and creativity, the research team is now studying how TVOC and other indoor air pollutants affect cognitive processes by measuring participants’ brain activity.
More information:
Shmitha Arikrishnan et al, Experimental study on the impact of indoor air quality on creativity using the Serious Brick Play method, Scientific reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-42355-z
Provided by Nanyang Technological University
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