Should you be living abroad?
It’s that time of year when armies of students, fresh from exam season and end-of-year dissertations, turn their minds to something even more challenging: living in another country.
Research suggests that academic exchanges, whereby individuals continue their studies abroad for a term or longer, hold numerous benefits – but crucially only, according to Angela Leung at the Singapore Management University, if they possess an eagerness to learn about and immerse themselves in the local culture.
For the individual, the benefit most frequently cited is increased creativity. William Maddux and Adam Galinsky at the University of North Carolina tested both undergraduates and those already in employment, in the US and Europe. They found that time spent living abroad
– as opposed to merely travelling internationally – was positively correlated with creativity. When David Therriault at the University of Florida measured creative ability in 135 undergraduates, he, too, found that those who’d lived abroad scored significantly higher on tests of creativity.
Carmit Tadmor at Tel Aviv University studies individuals she refers to as “biculturals” – those who identify with both their home country and the one they’ve lived in for a time. She’s discovered that not only are biculturals more creative, they also offer more innovative solutions and get more promotions at work than those who identify with a single culture.
According to Tadmor, the key to these gains is the development of an extremely desirable quality known as integrative complexity (IC) – the ability to know, consider and combine multiple perspectives when making decisions. It develops most readily when an individual must learn to accommodate different ways of thinking as well as living.
Not only individuals, but entire companies gain from high levels of IC. Elaine Wong at the University of Wisconsin, together with colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania and London Business School, looked at 61 Fortune 500 firms. They found companies whose managers showed higher levels of IC (and who were also open to more shared decision-making) had higher levels of corporate social performance. These individuals made a powerful and positive impact on their communities, employees and customers.
International living can benefit everyone, from those still in education to world leaders. Peter Suedfeld and colleagues at the University of British Columbia studied diplomatic communications and speeches made by leaders during times of international crisis. When important communications showed high levels of IC, the crisis was more likely to be settled peacefully.
Therefore, if you can find a way to spend some time living abroad, seriously consider doing so. Not only will you benefit from the experience, but those around you will as well.