Mere cultural exposure fails without active comparative cognitive work.

Evidence

Because we found that only living abroad (rather than traveling abroad) is associated with higher levels of creativity, it is possible that relatively immersive or transformational foreign experiences are particularly important in stimulating creativity. In addition, previous research suggests that just exposing individuals to novel cultural elements is not enough to lead to enhanced creativity; at a minimum, individuals must actively compare multiple cultures and do some cognitive work exploring the differences and similarities between multiple cultures to get enhanced creativity (Leung & Chiu, 2010). Thus, it seems likely that the association between living abroad and creativity would be weakest for those who remain aloof from their new culture (e.g., by associating only with expatriates or being unwilling or unable to adapt their behavior to different cultural contexts) and strongest for those who deeply engage with the culture and, in doing so, potentially change fundamental aspects of the way they think about and approach the social world. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2229 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Results from these initial studies demonstrated that there is something about living abroad that predicts or enhances creative abilities. However, these results do not provide specific insight into what underlying mechanism drives this link. Nevertheless, the pattern of results from our first few studies provided some suggestions. Because we found that only living abroad (rather than traveling abroad) is associated with higher levels of creativity, it is possible that relatively immersive or transformational foreign experiences are particularly important in stimulating creativity. In addition, previous research suggests that just exposing individuals to novel cultural elements is not enough to lead to enhanced creativity; at a minimum, individuals must actively compare multiple cultures and do some cognitive work exploring the differences and similarities between multiple cultures to get enhanced creativity (Leung & Chiu, 2010). Thus, it seems likely that the association between living abroad and creativity would be weakest for those who remain aloof from their new culture (e.g., by associating only with expatriates or being unwilling or unable to adapt their behavior to different cultural contexts) and strongest for those who deeply engage with the culture and, in doing so, potentially change fundamental aspects of the way they think about and approach the social world. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2229 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Because in these two initial experiments we held learning constant while varying the cultural context, in a third experiment we held the multicultural context constant and varied learning. In one condition, we asked participants to recall and write about a time in which they learned something novel about a foreign culture and were able to learn about the underlying reasons for it. In a second condition, we asked a different group of participants to recall and write about an experience in which they learned something novel about a foreign culture but were not able to learn about the underlying reasons for it. If functional learning is particularly critical for creative enhancement, creativity should be facilitated in the former compared to the latter condition. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2244 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Mere exposure to foreign cultures does not boost creativity; active comparison does. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2229; Mere exposure to foreign cultures is insufficient for creativity gains. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2229; Thought requires active engagement with a modifying cultural environment to be real — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1254 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Mere exposure to foreign cultures does not boost creativity; active comparison does. #corroborates (0.97) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2229
• Mere exposure to foreign cultures is insufficient for creativity gains. #corroborates (0.93) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2229
• Merely experiencing foreign novelty without grasping its underlying reasons does not boost creativity #expands (0.92) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 2244