Unleash your Creativi-TEA!

Have you always thought of yourself as being more creative? Are you also an avid tea-drinker? If both relate to you, a study has proven a link between drinking tea and elevated levels of creativity! The researchers from Peking University conducted two experiments, using a placebo; in this case, it was just hot water and the other was tea.

The study asked participants to think of a name for a Ramen noodle soup; the tea-drinking participants came up with more innovative and creative names than those who just drank a cup of hot water.

The second study asked participants to use children's building blocks to create the most aesthetically pleasing design; again independent raters, blind to the study and its aim rated the tea-drinking sample as the more creative when judging their designs.

There have been previous studies that have linked a more alert mind and tea together in the past – but this& particular study claim that this is the first study to find a relationship with more open thinking. The reasons for the effect aren’t clear: no significant improvement in arousal or positive mood was observed in the tea drinkers, nor did the participants make the tea themselves, an action that some speculate could help shift mindset. It’s possible that the effect is simply due to relaxation – even so if that is the case, why not sit back and enjoy a BRUU when your next brainstorm!