Lifestyle: This ping pong ball example shows how drinking can make you more creative

Dr Richard Stephens says: "If your attention is disrupted a bit by alcohol this facilitates a more "scatter-brain" approach which is good for creativity."

Business Insider UK spoke with Richard Stephens, author of "Black Sheep: The Hidden Benefits of Being Bad," who explained why drinking alcohol can give you an edge in being creative.

He said: "A few studies have looked at whether there's a relationship between moderate drinking and creativity. Give somebody an everyday item, like, for example, a ping pong ball, and say "what could you use a ping pong for besides playing ping pong?" The more different uses that people come up with then that's more creative."

"Studies where people have been given small amounts of alcohol and given tasks like this, they're able to produce a higher number of alternative uses in an alcohol condition, compared with a controlled condition where you wouldn't have had alcohol."

Produced by David Ibekwe. Filmed by Claudia Romeo. Special thanks to Joe Daunt

Dr Richard Stephens says: "If your attention is disrupted a bit by alcohol this facilitates a more "scatter-brain" approach which is good for creativity." Read Full Story