Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
20th Aug 2012

Research shows that studying abroad boosts creativity

Newly published research provides the best evidence yet that studying overseas boosts one’s creativity. The study titled "On the Cognitive Benefits of Cultural Experience: Exploring the Relationship between Studying Abroad and Creative Thinking" was conducted by three scholars at the University of Florida, Gainesville.

“Cultural experiences from living abroad have wide-reaching benefits on students’ creativity, including the facilitation of complex cognitive processes that promote creative thinking,” according to the researchers in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology.

A review in Pacific Standard magazine provides an overview of the research, which has demonstrated that a semester abroad leads to higher creativity scores on two different tests. The link between studying abroad and enhanced creativity was first made in a 2009 paper, which found students who spent time overseas were more likely to come up with innovative insights. However, it didn’t quite establish causality. The authors couldn’t say for certain that the experience was transformative, admitting it was possible that people who choose to study outside their home country are more creative to begin with. To address that issue, the scholars from the University of Florida assembled three groups of undergraduate students from a large university in the American south: 45 who had studied abroad, 45 who were planning to study abroad (but had not yet done so), and 45 who had no interest in studying abroad. All completed two creativity tests. The first, the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults, measures general creativity. Participants are asked to draw a pair of pictures using specific guidelines, and to discuss “the troubles they might encounter if they could walk on air.” Creativity was judged by the number of answers they came up with, their originality, level of detail, and the flexibility of thinking they demonstrated. In the second test, which was devised by the Florida team, participants were asked to generate as many ideas as possible in a series of challenges. This “cultural creativity task” included such problems as “Suppose you wake up tomorrow with a different skin color. What changes might this create in your life?” Creativity was judged by both the number of responses and their originality. On both tests, the students who had studied abroad “significantly outperformed” members of the other two groups. On the second, those who had spent time studying overseas generated “ideas and solutions that were richer in description, detail and humour” than their classmates - including those who were predisposed to studying abroad, and planned to do so. According to the researchers, this strongly suggests that “the actual immersion in a foreign culture” boosts one’s creativity, and the "findings indicate that studying abroad supports cognitive processes involved in developing innovative solutions.” Looking for more benefits of studying abroad? Check out the infographic below for a visual profile of the study abroad industry. Global-Visas-Studying-Abroad-infographic Sources: Pacific Standard, www.globalvisas.com

Most Recent

  • New Zealand announces strong foreign enrolment growth along with a new international education strategy Read More
  • The surging demand for skills training in a rapidly changing global economy Read More
  • US issues corrected student visa data showing growth for 2024 while current trends point to an enrolment decline for 2025/26 Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

New Zealand announces strong foreign enrolment growth along with a new international education strategy Following a post-pandemic surge in 2023, Education New Zealand (ENZ) announced this week that the country’s international student...
Read more
US issues corrected student visa data showing growth for 2024 while current trends point to an enrolment decline for 2025/26 In April 2025, we reported that foreign enrolments in the US had declined by -11% between March 2024...
Read more
Survey finds US institutions expanding agency engagement and focusing on new student markets AIRC (The Association of International Enrollment Management) and BONARD have just released a second edition of the State...
Read more
Canada’s language sector buffeted by policy changes in 2024 Amid reports of mounting job losses and programme cuts across Canadian education, the country’s language education providers are...
Read more
Language travel sector leaders call for a focus on value amid persistent discount pressure A June 2025 forum convened by ALTO (Association of Language Travel Organisations) confirmed that price discounting in language...
Read more
Canada: List of non-degree college programmes linked to post-study work rights has changed The Canadian government is continuing its policy of linking eligibility for a post-study work permit (PGWP) – at...
Read more
US administration revives proposal to limit terms of student visas The Trump administration has given notice of a proposed rule change that seeks to limit the term for...
Read more
How have changes in policy settings impacted international student recruitment at Australian universities? Over the past couple of years, Australian universities have been operating within a policy framework that makes it...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links