Question: Ive noticed that a lot of people who like science also have interests in creative sujects such as music and comedy. Do you think that being more open minded and creative can help scientists discover to things?

Alexander Munnoch answered on 20 Jun 2013:

Definitely!

Variety is the spice of life.

Scientists, like artists can become deeply involved in their work – to the exclusion of many other things – kind of like blinkers on a horse. Being more open-minded and creative doesn’t remove the blinkers but it makes you look side-to-side to see what else is about and I think lets you put your discoveries and work in perspective. Being more open-minded and creative means you will likely talk to a wider range of people with very differing opinions and perspectives that you would never encounter in your own workplace just because of the way you are trained. I think the link between all of these artisitc, comedic, creative and scientific traits stem from a strong curiousity and a desire to explore those curiosities to their fullest no matter what direction it takes you in.