The Key to Creativity Could Be Eating Your Fruits and Veggies, Study Says
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Here’s one more reason to load up your dinner plate up with heirloom tomatoes tonight: A new study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology found that folks who eat more fruits and vegetables report feeling more creative and curious, and also feel a greater sense of purpose and engagement than those who skimp on their bananas and broccoli. Who knew veggies could get so, well, deep?
As reported on the Huffington Post, the study consisted of over 400 university students who kept a daily recording of the amount of fruits, vegetables, desserts and various fried-potato dishes they ate over the course of 13 days. Along with updating their food diaries daily, each student also filled out a questionnaire every day measuring their creativity, curiosity, and sense of purpose and engagement.
In the end, researchers found that students who ate more fruits and vegetables throughout the course of the study reported higher average levels of creativity, curiosity, and feelings of purpose and engagement. And what’s even more interesting is that all of the study participants, across the board, tended to score higher levels on the days they upped their fruit and veggie intake.
The researchers note they can’t conclude that there is a direct link between fruits and veggies and these feeling of well-being—after all, it could be that folks simply eat more fruits and vegetables on days when they are in a more positive and engaged mood. But they do give a few reasons for how fruits and veggies could have an impact on these positive feelings. For one:
Many fruits and vegetables contain higher levels of Vitamin C, an important co-factor in the production of dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that underlies motivation and promotes engagement.
So, who else will be piling their Meatless Monday plate super high tonight?
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