14 November 2016
What kind of potato chip would you create, and what would you name it, if you wanted to sell the product exclusively to pregnant women?
That was the question researchers from the University of Connecticut posed to participants to explore the impact empathy has on creativity. Researchers received a smorgasbord of responses including– Pickles-and-Ice Cream chips. (Sign me up)
But, the group of participants that came out on top, with the most creative suggestions according to a panel of soon-to-be mothers, were the ones that took a few extra moments to envision how the pregnant mothers would feel when they ate the chip.
This shows that when we activate our ability to empathize with others, we can produce more creative solutions.
Here’s how: