Thaindian News

London, Jan 25 (IANS) Companies expecting “out of the box ideas” from employees should first pay attention to the kind of workplace they are providing them, as a study has found that cramped or claustrophobic working environments stifle employees’ creativity.

Scientists say cramped, claustrophobic working environments stifle employees’ creativity and result in fewer ‘lightbulb’ moments of inspiration, the Daily Mail reported.

Working in an airier, less constricted workplace was, however, found to stimulate their brains more and boost their ability to think ‘outside the box’.

This was found during a research by Chinese and US scientists, which saw volunteers seated inside or outside a cardboard box measuring five by five feet.

The team ensured that, cardboard aside, each environment was identical and that participants did not feel claustrophobic inside the box.

Having set the volunteers a test, findings showed that people outside the box were consistently more creative in their thinking.

It was also discovered that walking freely helped people generate more ideas than when they were made to walk in a straight line.