The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than three million people die each year from indoor air pollution. In a report dated December 2022, the health authority indicates that this type of pollution may be responsible for an increased risk of non-communicable diseases such as stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer.

While air quality in the home is most often cited, company premises are not spared, and the impact appears not to be limited to workers’ physical health. A recent study by researchers at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University looked into the matter, suggesting that high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – chemicals released by certain products – can impair employees’ creativity.

Published in the journal Scientific Reports, this research is based on a specific technique, Serious Brick Play, inspired by the Lego Serious Play method. This technique is commonly used in seminars, training courses and meetings to improve business performance by stimulating reflection, imagination and communication using Lego bricks.

Eighty-seven undergraduate and postgraduate students took part in the six-week study. In a controlled environment reminiscent of an indoor workspace, they were asked three times to read a summary of a global issue, such as climate change or mental health, and then to propose a solution using the Serious Brick Play method, detailing it in writing.

This took place in an environment where air quality varied, notably for carbon dioxide and VOCs, thanks to a partnership with global air filter manufacturer Camfil. The Lego models, like the descriptions, were subject to a scoring system based on originality, fluency and build.

The researchers found that high levels of VOCs affected the creativity of the study participants. The scientists thus report that a 72% reduction in total VOCs could improve a participant’s creative potential by 12%.

VOCs can be much more prevalent in workplaces than you might think, since they can originate from detergents, pesticides, perfumes, paints and aerosols.

“While most people would correctly associate indoor air quality with effects on the lungs, especially since we just emerged from a pandemic, our study shows that it could also have an impact on the mind and creative cognition, or the ability to use knowledge in an unconventional way,” co-lead researcher Ng Bing Feng said.

“Our findings suggest that relatively low total VOC levels, even if well within the accepted threshold, could impact an individual’s creative potential.”

Some sectors are obviously more impacted than others, as the researchers point out, but this study highlights the need for companies to improve indoor air quality. “This could have serious consequences for industries that rely on creativity for the bulk of their work,” co-author Wan Man Pun pointed out.

“For instance, artists often use paints and thinners that release high levels of VOCs and may not know they need adequate ventilation to clear them from their workplace.

“Our findings also point to how making minor adjustments in the office, such as reducing the use of aroma diffusers or ensuring adequate ventilation, could positively impact employees and their productivity.”