A groundbreaking new study suggests that regularly changing workplaces or working from multiple locations can speed up the creative process, helping top scientists—and potentially creatives in all fields—begin their most innovative work years sooner than if they stayed put. This insight comes from a study of Nobel Prize-winning scientists, sparking important discussions about how Thai researchers, artists, and innovators might gain an edge by embracing mobility in their work environments. The findings could have far-reaching implications for Thailand’s education, creative, and research sectors as the country strives for global recognition in science and the arts.
The study, published in the International Economic Review by researchers from Ohio State University, New York University in Abu Dhabi, and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, analyzed decades of data on Nobel laureates in chemistry, medicine, and physics from 1901 to 2003 (Neuroscience News). They discovered that Nobel winners who moved more frequently, or worked out of multiple locations, began their prize-winning research up to 2.6 years earlier than those who remained at a single institution. The researchers propose that exposure to new environments, colleagues, and ideas allows for the blending of unique perspectives—directly fueling creative breakthroughs.
This research is especially compelling for Thai readers, as Thailand increasingly aims to foster world-class innovators across sectors. Top universities, government agencies, and the private sector continually invest in developing local talent and attracting international expertise. For many up-and-coming Thai researchers, artists, and professionals, understanding the value of intellectual mobility could recalibrate career planning, funding strategies, and policies around academic sabbaticals or multi-institutional collaborations.
According to the study, mobility accelerates creativity for scientists by boosting “recombinant innovation”—the process where exposure to diverse and unfamiliar ideas makes it more likely for someone to combine knowledge in novel ways. Moving to a new location every two years, for example, was associated with a reduction of about two years in the time taken to embark on Nobel-caliber work. Scientist-sabbaticals, international exchanges, and collaborations with global centers like CERN were found to have similar effects—even when scientists split time between, say, a home university and a leading lab abroad.
Professor of economics at Ohio State University, one of the study’s co-authors, explained in the published report, “They’re hearing interesting ideas at one place and different ideas at another location. They are putting these things together in novel, important ways. If they stayed in one place, it would take much longer to happen or may not happen at all.” He went on to note, “You’re more likely to come up with that great new idea if you move around, meet new people, have new experiences, encounter new ways of thinking.” (Neuroscience News)
Economic analysis showed that for those who might have otherwise taken a decade to begin prize-winning research, frequent moves reduced that period by nearly a quarter. Even moving more modestly—once every five years—cut the time to breakthrough work by 0.7 years. The findings were stable across different Nobel fields and time periods, indicating robust benefits for creativity associated with mobility. The study’s rich data set enabled the researchers to track in detail the movements, career trajectories, and key research milestones of laureates, providing strong evidence for a direct link between changing locations and accelerated innovation.
Crucially for Thai policymakers, educators, and institutional leaders, these findings suggest that merely clustering talented individuals at prestigious domestic institutions may not suffice for generating world-leading innovations. Exposure to new environments, both physically and intellectually, appears indispensable. The study’s authors contrast their findings with prevailing theories that emphasize the benefits of research hotbeds or knowledge clusters like Silicon Valley or Cambridge, Massachusetts. While these hubs can spark creative “spillovers” among local peers, such benefits diminish over time as shared perspectives become homogenized. “After a while, you’ve talked to all of them and you develop a common understanding of how things work,” noted the Ohio State economist. “You’re less likely to come up with this great breakthrough unless you are exposed to a new set of ideas you haven’t heard before.”
In the Thai context, universities such as Chulalongkorn, Mahidol, and Chiang Mai often seek to emulate leading global research clusters, yet there’s a strong cultural tendency toward institutional loyalty and long-term attachment to a single workplace. For many Thai researchers, moving laboratories, changing provinces, or spending significant time overseas can be socially and bureaucratically challenging. In the creative industries, too, young Thai artists and designers often cite the need for international exposure but face formidable financial and logistic obstacles to pursuing opportunities abroad.
Historically, many of Thailand’s most celebrated researchers, scientists, and cultural innovators have credited international experiences—whether as students, visiting scholars, or participants in exchange programmes—with shaping their worldviews and enhancing their creative output. In traditional Thai society, however, long-term stability in a known environment is often favored, sometimes even at the expense of personal or professional growth.
Significantly, the new research highlights that the mobility advantage does not only apply to Nobel-class scientists. The study’s authors argue, “I think the same might even be true of great painters and artists and anyone in a creative domain—their genius is coming up with novel ideas and expressing them in novel ways. And it helps to move and meet others with different ideas.” This suggests that broadening one’s intellectual and cultural horizons can yield dividends for entrepreneurs, startup founders, educators, and workers in Thailand’s creative economy.
Anticipating the potential impacts for Thailand, several directions seem promising. Promotion of academic sabbaticals, structured inter-university exchanges, and industry partnerships with international firms could help accelerate innovation in STEM fields and beyond. For Thai artists, designers, and creative professionals, more grants and fellowships specifically supporting stints in unfamiliar environments may be there key to unleashing new creative potential. Corporate leaders in Thailand’s innovative sectors may also take note, fostering internal policies and career paths that reward broad and diverse experiences—locally and internationally.
Still, there are challenges to promoting mobility in the Thai system. Researchers point to high bureaucratic hurdles for public sector staff to spend time in other institutions or abroad, inflexible contractual obligations, and at times cultural resistance to the notion that creative progress requires “disruption” of stable arrangements. Policymakers and institutional leaders may need to rethink these barriers to ensure Thailand’s brightest minds can access the full creativity boost offered by new experiences and environments.
Looking ahead, the authors of the study note that future research should examine the role of more short-term experiences, such as sabbaticals, conferences, or even remote collaboration on creativity and innovation. As digital connectivity becomes more widespread—especially post-pandemic—many Thai professionals may be able to reap some of the benefits of exposure to new ideas without requiring permanent relocation. However, the study found the strongest creativity benefits were linked specifically to physical movement and immersive experience in new environments.
The actionable message for ambitious Thai readers is clear: Seek out opportunities to work, study, or collaborate in new places whenever possible. This applies to students considering exchange programs, researchers lobbying for inter-institutional partnerships, or creatives looking to find fresh inspiration abroad or in different parts of the country. Thai companies and organizations should consider incentivizing cross-location work and reducing barriers to career mobility.
For young professionals and policymakers alike, the lesson from science’s highest achievers is that great ideas rarely flourish in isolation. Renewal, novelty, and diversity—often found away from familiar settings—supercharge the imagination and open the door to breakthrough achievement. In the words of the Ohio State economist, “Going off into a completely different environment, a new context, might help creative people think in new ways.”
Further reading and more information about the study can be found at Neuroscience News and the International Economic Review for the original publication.