Creativity peaks in your 20s and then again in your 50s

New research on  Nobel Prize winners shows that you're never too old to be creative
People who did their most groundbreaking work early in their career were "conceptual" innovators
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Phoebe Weston30 April 2019

Some of the world's greatest thinkers bloomed young – Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Richard Feynman all did their greatest work in their 20s.

However, new research on Nobel Prize winners shows that you're never too old to be creative.

Scientists found there are two different life cycles of creativity – one that peaks in the mid-20s and another that comes later in life, around the mid-50s.

"Many people believe that creativity is exclusively associated with youth, but it really depends on what kind of creativity you're talking about," said Bruce Weinberg, lead author of the study and professor of economics at The Ohio State University.

According to the paper, published in the journal De Economist, people who did their most groundbreaking work early in their career were "conceptual" innovators.

These people tended to "think outside the box," challenging conventional wisdom and came up with new ideas suddenly. This is before they have properly understood accepted theories in the field.

Some of the world's greatest thinkers bloomed young – Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein (pictured) and Richard Feynman all did their greatest work in their 20s
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The second wave of creativity is found among "experimental" innovators. These individuals have accumulated a lot of knowledge and find new ways to analyse and interpret information. These individuals often require long periods of trial and error so their innovations tend to occur later in life.

"Whether you hit your creative peak early or late in your career depends on whether you have a conceptual or experimental approach," Professor Weinberg said.

As part of the study, researchers looked at 31 laureates and listed them from the most experimental to the most conceptual. This ranking was based on their single most important work.

Researchers found that conceptual laureates peaked at either 29 or 25 years of age. Experimental laureates peaked when they were roughly twice as old—at about 57 in one method or the mid-50s in the other.

"Our research suggests than when you're most creative is less a product of the scientific field that you're in and is more about how you approach the work you do," Professor Weinberg said.

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