Improvisation and Teens: A New Scientific Study
A new scientific study was recently published in the journal "Frontiers in Psychology" that looks at the effect of improvisational training on a group of teens over an 11 week course. There were two groups of teenagers studied - only one of which received the improvisational training.
From the findings:
“The improv group had better performance in originality, flexibility and gave less prototypical items after the improv sessions compared to before, while the control group performance was similar before and after. Our results suggest that improv helps teenagers’ divergent thinking to improve.”
If you’re not familiar with the term “divergent thinking,” Harvard has this great video that explains it:
Essentially, divergent thinkers are creative thinkers. And if you don’t think that’s an important attribute, the World Economic Forum disagrees with you. They cited divergent thinking as a key skill for the future of work.
The study, which was done in France, also cites some other interesting insights:
“The emotional impact of improv was only very recently assessed to find it can help reduce anxiety and depression in you and older adults.”
“The French Education Ministry recently endorsed improv as a learning tool.”
“Teachers and parents praised improv benefits in the classroom: academic performance, but also well-being, speaking in public skills and creativity.”
Here’s a link to the study: Study on Improvisation and Teenagers
www.secondcityworks.com
Psychologist and Founder of Mind Flow - Applied Improvisation Workshops
5 年Thanks for the intersting read! Love finding the sweet spots where improv and psychology meet :)
Actor, Comedian, Host, Creative Workshop Facilitator, Presenter, Teacher, USAF Vet, 2x Testicular Cancer Survivor, Cat Dad & Constant Follower of Dreams <3
6 年Ms. Mae Ross
USMC Veteran, Actor/Writer @ Independent Entertainment | Podcast Host, Producer
6 年BJ Lange
Owner-President/Executive Producer/Founder at Improv Playhouse
6 年Nice post Kelly. Interesting read. Of course...those of us in the field of improvisation have known for years that the oft cited "Johnstone" in the article laid the foundation for improvisational synergy amongst both adult and youth participants. His renowned forms within the Theatersports framework gave rise concurrently with the universally accepted Spolin principle of Yes/And which drives individuals within groups toward intra-supportive creativity. The field of music, specifically, Jazz, likewise liberates the musician into explorational creative experiences within the guidelines of improvisational rules. The trick to Jazz improvisation is playing music with both spontaneous creativity and intentional conviction. All good things to be considered when engaging adults and teens in the training.
Happily Retired Person
6 年Improvisation is an excellent learning tool and teamwork technique. It allows us to be creative while letting ideas flow as others build on further