Remember skipping down the sidewalk for no reason as a kid? Or making up a game in the grocery store? That’s spontaneity – and adults need it just as much as kids do!
Julia Kam is a psychology professor at the University of Calgary. And she says spontaneity helps your brain stay flexible and creative. But as we age, levels of the feel-good brain chemical dopamine drop 10% each decade of adulthood……Our lives also get more routine, and we trade play for productivity. The result?
We experience less joy and more stress. In fact, a lack of spontaneity can be a measure of biological aging!
Luckily, you can train yourself to be spontaneous again. Start with “free-thinking” breaks – like going for a walk with no goal. And try new things that break your routine…… like dancing in your kitchen – or saying yes to a last minute invite on a work night.
Neurobiologist Sandeep Datta says novelty – meaning doing anything new – has been shown to lift depression, improve creativity and boost energy.
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