Living abroad increases insight into using objects for unintended purposes

Evidence

Seeing problems from multiple perspectives is exactly the sort of insight that was necessary to solve the Duncker candle problem used in several of our studies; the insight that a box of tacks could be used for a purpose it is not typically intended for (a candleholder) is more likely to occur if individuals had lived abroad. The same sort of insight, that money is not the only way to come to a deal in a negotiation over the sale price of a gas station, was also more likely to occur for those who had lived abroad (Maddux & Galinsky, 2009, study 2). — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2264 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Living abroad boosts creativity but mere travel does not — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2249; Living abroad improves making creative associations between unrelated concepts; Living abroad, but not traveling abroad, boosts creative problem-solving. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2225 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Living abroad raises the likelihood of solving insight problems requiring reframing. #corroborates (0.95) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2264