Podcast: Familiarity Might Breed Contempt But Certainly Not Creativity!

No matter how many quotes and gifs we might see to convince ourselves to embrace change, our brains will still prefer the familiar. We tend to huddle together with people who like the same things we do, laugh at the same jokes and hold the same political views. Our echo chambers. While this seems like stating the obvious, it is this preference for familiarity that causes the sort of deep political polarisation we are witnessing in the world today. It also makes parochialism and identity-based relationships seem ‘okay’.

With this backdrop in mind, Hidden Brain’s latest podcast looks at how familiarity might be comfortable but not exactly conducive to creativity. Featured in the podcast is well-known social scientist Adam Galinsky, whose many studies have significantly proved that people with deeper connections with different cultures are more creative and certainly better able to think out of the box. In fact, studies have also indicated that the psychological effects of travel, living abroad and interacting with people from different cultures can transform a person’s understanding of themself. This, of course, is linked to several benefits such as career success, mental well-being and increased ability to cope with stress.

Harvard professor Richard Freeman (also featured) found out to his chagrin that even scientists tend to stick to their own groups. It prompted him to conduct a study on diversity in science where he discovered that scientific research conducted by ethnically diverse researchers were cited more often.

This is part of a larger debate that the podcast explores: In group dynamics, what is better? Do people who share similar interests and backgrounds come up with better ideas, or do people with different perspectives and cultures? The best part of the half-an-hour listen is the discussion about application of ideas in vastly different areas such as arts, fashion and business, and how diversity affects creative thinking in practical terms.