Researchers suggest arts and crafts should be integrated into learning science
The Chemistry World team is a creative bunch. We’ve got a musician, a fiction writer, a woodworker and a cosplay enthusiast (I’ll let you guess who’s who). And, after two years of our In situ interviews (see p66), it’s clear that many of the top scientists in the world have a love of music or the arts, too. But does skill with a brush, lathe or guitar correlate with being nifty with science? According to research published in PNAS in January, it does.
The Chemistry World team is a creative bunch. We’ve got a musician, a fiction writer, a woodworker and a cosplay enthusiast (I’ll let you guess who’s who). And, after two years of our In situ interviews, it’s clear that many of the top scientists in the world have a love of music or the arts, too. But does skill with a brush, lathe or guitar correlate with being nifty with science? According to research published in PNAS in January, it does.
The study looked at the hobbies of 225 mid-career science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medical professionals and found that arts and crafts – singing, dancing, fabric arts or writing poetry – correlated with patent filings and founding companies. Practical skills such as woodwork, metalwork and electronics did, too. Around 65% of those interviewed felt their hobbies had a direct impact on their work. The study (in fairness, with some reservations, admitting the association is ‘open to interpretation’) concludes that integrating arts, crafts and design with courses could improve learning in science-focused fields.
I remain sceptical. Correlation, after all, does not equal causation. The sample size is relatively focused and the data self-reported. Most people enjoy the arts in some form, and it shouldn’t be surprising that people like to chill out now and then. We bring the whole gamut of our life to everything we do, so of course we find inspiration or pick up skills in our extra-curricular activities. It feels self-evident that someone who likes to make things is more likely to take out a patent for having made something than their non-crafty colleagues. And given this is a survey of mid-career scientists, making any suggestion about what could help undergraduates feels like a stretch too far.
Perhaps a better lesson would be that it’s OK, even necessary, to take time to have fun. Science and working life in academia or industry can be stressful at the best of times, and everyone needs an outlet to relax – be it sport, fan fiction or slouching on the sofa. Forcing someone to try art, music or craft to become a better scientist is likely to just end up making them resent art, music or crafts. Instead, our message to students should be to do whatever it is they love to do. Perhaps it’ll inspire them, perhaps it won’t. But if you’re having fun, does that really matter?
References
1 R Root-Bernstein et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 2019 DOI: 10.1073.pnas.1807189116
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