Science is creative.
That may sound like a contradiction in terms, but new research suggests that scientists hit their creative peak early in their careers.
The study, published in the journal Nature, found that scientists who made important discoveries were, on average, just over 32 years old.
The findings add to a growing body of evidence that creativity does not necessarily decline with age.
“It’s not that older scientists are not creative, it’s just that they are not making as many breakthroughs,” said study author Benjamin F. Jones, a professor of management at Northwestern University.
The study’s authors analyzed data on more than 8 million scientific publications, patents, and software applications.
They found that the probability of making an important discovery peaks at around age 35 and then declines steadily with age.
“The evidence is very clear that the most important work that scientists do happens early in their careers,” Jones said.
The findings have implications for how we support and encourage creativity.
Jones said the findings suggest that we should provide more resources and opportunities for young scientists.
“We should be investing more in young scientists,” he said. “We should be funding more of their work and giving them more opportunities to take risks.”
The study’s authors say their findings could also help to explain the so-called “Matthew effect,” named after the Bible verse Matthew 25:29, which says, “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.”
In other words, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
Jones said the findings suggest that the Matthew effect applies to creativity as well.
“The people who are already successful are more likely to be successful in the future,” he said. “Those who are not successful are less likely to be successful in the future.”
The findings have implications for how we support and encourage creativity.
Jones said the findings suggest that we should provide more resources and opportunities for young scientists.
“We should be investing more in young scientists,” he said. “We should be funding more of their work and giving them more opportunities to take risks.”
Creativity is critical to success in any field, but especially in science, where researchers must constantly think outside the box to make breakthroughs. A new study has found that creativity generally peaks early in a scientist’s career, with the most productive years coming in the late 20s and early 30s.
Though there have been many individual studies on creativity and its relationship to age, this is one of the first to looked at the matter in a very large sample. The researchers analyzed nearly 3 million scientific papers, looking at how often each was cited by other scientists. They used this measure of impact as a proxy for creativity, since more often than not, truly creative work is also highly influential.
What they found is that creativity begins to decline after a scientist’s 35th birthday on average. The sharpest drop comes in the late 40s. This mirrors other studies that have found that people tend to be at their peak in their late 20s and early 30s in terms of mental ability and physical strength.
While the reasons for this decline are not fully understood, the researchers suggest that it may be due to a combination of factors, including a decrease in the number of new ideas, a greater focus on established ways of thinking, and a reduced ability to take risks.
This study has important implications for both individuals and organizations. If you want to maximize creativity, it’s important to give younger scientists the opportunity to take the lead on projects and to have a voice in decision-making. Organizational structures that favor experience over youth are likely to be stifling creativity.
At the same time, it’s important to recognize that creativity doesn’t always come easily to young people. They may need more support and guidance to get their ideas off the ground. In other words, there’s no need to throw out the baby with the bathwater. A mix of young and old scientists is likely to be the most productive.
