Creativity and Entrepreneurship – Scientifically Proven Benefits We Derive from Living Abroad

The tendency for opening the borders world-wide and the global economic crisis have caused a huge wave of migration of people who want to work abroad temporarily or permanently. According to the statistics this applies not only for the residents of the countries most badly affected by the crisis but also for the residents of developed regions of the world like Germany and England. Looking for a better life is a common human feature. IT specialists striving to excel in their profession abroad and medical workers trying to find a better job in the medical field are among the most usual cases of emigration.

No matter if the reason for moving to another country is seeking  job vacancies or something else, a new study shows that the adaptation to a new environment and a new culture spurs creativity and entrepreneurship in emigrants.

Scientists from the business university INSEAD have done a series of surveys in order to find out what the effects living abroad has on human mind. They tested the widespread thesis that “travel broadens the mind.”

The participants in the study fell into three categories: those who live abroad or who spent many years abroad, those who had been only on excursions without settling in another country and those who had never been abroad.

All participants were assessed in terms of their inclination to take risks and to seek adventure. This was done in order to check whether people moving to another country are more creative by nature. The results of the study confirmed this assumption but it also showed that moving abroad increases the level of creativity in people.

It is not just a coincidence that some of the most famous people like Pablo Picasso, Rudiard Kipling and Ernest Hemingway spent years abroad.

The adaptation process that takes place when a person moves to a foreign country is a challenge at all levels (professional and personal) and it establishes new connections in the brain.

This is the reason why travelling abroad doesn’t bring the same benefits like living abroad. Scientists have discovered that people who have spent a longer period abroad are also more likely to become entrepreneurs. They also predict that in the future companies will start looking for people who have lived abroad to fill the job positions requiring a higher level of creativity.

It turned out that age matters when it comes to deriving the maximal benefits from living abroad. These people who move at an earlier age enjoy the biggest positive psychological transformation.

Emigrants fall into two main categories: those who seek adventures and those who want to escape from a poorer country to a richer one accepting any job they can find.

In the new millennium, however, emigration or temporary living in a foreign country doesn’t mean giving up the qualifications and professional experience you have attained in your native country. The new wave of people moving abroad are highly qualified specialists who want to continue their career in the new country without making a compromise with the hierarchical position they deserve.  They seek the support and assistance of competent consultancies like Forum der Medizin in order to plan carefully the career steps they want to make and to find the most suitable workplace abroad. The adaptation process runs smoothly when people are prepared about what they can expect in the new country. In this way they can enjoy an adventure that will make them more creative as well as more successful in their profession.

Last but not least, scientists have come to another wonderful conclusion – those who have returned to their native country are able to change their mindset to a more creative and problem-solving mode (the effect lasts about 10 to 15 minutes) just by remembering a situation from their stay abroad when they coped with a challenge successfully!

Author: Mariya Dim

Read more:

How to finance your education in a foreign country

Birth control pills raise the risk of glaucoma

Emigration: Yes or No?