Cafe culture: productive idleness or laziness?

Productive idleness, in positive terms, might be a certain kind of laziness. That's according to an article in the Travel section of online BBC News (June 3, 2015) about Vienna's productive idleness - and the reason for Vienna being the city that produces such creative people as Amadeus Mozart.

The author points out that culture matters above all else in Vienna - such as operas, concerts, theatres, activities, travel, food, coffee houses, and entertainment. And yet the city is a 'picture of perfect efficiency.' Vienna dismantles the idea that culture is idle, because they prove that culture is the root of creativity. They call it productive idleness.

Productive idleness is the 'incubator' of ideas - the early stages of the creative process. This is the time when creative breakthroughs actually break forth. Places such as cafes and coffee houses can be idea incubators, where people discuss life and culture. This may be because people are relaxed and contemplative, and meetings are informal and usually with like-minded people.

Sometimes absolute quiet is not the best for generating ideas. Ideas come from discussions, reading newspapers or books, looking at the scenery or passing pedestrians, while hearing the hubbub of those around you.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in America found that people exposed to moderate noise (70 decibels) performed better on a creative thinking exam than those exposed to higher levels of noise or complete silence. Moderate noise allows people to 'enter a state of mind conducive to creative breakthroughs' said the researchers. That's why people in coffee houses in Vienna - and probably everywhere else - can be productively idle and yet creatively constructive.

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