Italian researchers from the University of L’Aquila explored how musical training might shape human thinking and cognitive performance. Their work suggests that learning music can broaden problem solving, encourage flexible thinking, and boost creative resourcefulness. The study appeared in Brain Sciences, a scientific journal widely read by researchers in neuroscience and psychology.
Earlier investigations have shown that divergent thinking is influenced by a mix of factors. Personality traits and emotional intelligence play a role, but cognitive processes also guide how new ideas are generated. In this context, working memory stands out as a key driver of creative thought. It helps a person hold instructions in mind, move ideas forward without repeating them, and manipulate information during the creative process.
The study enrolled 83 healthy volunteers between 19 and 20 years old. Participants underwent assessments of working memory and lateral thinking abilities to gauge how these functions relate to one another. The findings indicate a clear link: individuals with stronger working memory tended to achieve higher scores on tasks measuring creativity and resourcefulness.
The researchers interpret these results as evidence that musical education can be associated with enhanced cognitive flexibility. The results add to a growing body of work showing how the brain adapts to training in music and how such training may influence cognitive performance in everyday activities. This line of inquiry aligns with broader findings that musical experience can affect attention, memory, and problem solving across diverse contexts.
Other studies in the field have noted that playing a musical instrument may yield unexpected cognitive benefits. While the mechanisms remain a topic of ongoing research, the pattern across multiple studies points to a meaningful connection between sustained musical practice and brain function. The present study contributes to that conversation by highlighting working memory as a central component linking music training with divergent thinking and creative performance.