Can ceiling height affect creativity?

Yes, ceiling height can indeed affect creativity. This is referred to as the "cathedral effect," where the physical environment, particularly the height of the ceiling, influences cognitive processing. High ceilings are associated with abstract thinking and creativity. A study mentioned by Andrew Huberman found that environments with high ceilings (10 feet) promote abstract thinking, whereas environments with low ceilings (8 feet) stimulate detailed, analytic thinking. This effect likely occurs because high ceilings offer a sense of expansiveness, leading to broader, more abstract thinking, while lower ceilings encourage a focus on details 1.

In practice, if you're engaged in creative tasks, such as brainstorming or generating new ideas, working in a room with higher ceilings or even outdoors might be beneficial. Conversely, for tasks that require detailed and analytic focus, lower ceiling environments could be more suitable 2. This understanding can be applied to optimize workspace for different types of cognitive work.