Einstein's combinatory play: A promising practice for creativity and well-being among public health professionals

Abstract

The purpose of this commentary is to describe combinatory play as a practice for elevating creativity and well-being among public health professionals. Albert Einstein introduced combinatory play in a letter to a colleague, and, in this commentary, we define it as engagement in an intrinsically enjoyable, cognitively stimulating artistic activity that is distinct from one's job tasks and conducive to connecting ideas toward insight and creative problem-solving. Combinatory play aligns with empirical and experiential evidence demonstrating connections between art and science. We present combinatory play in the context of research on creativity and well-being, including the growing issue of work-related stress among public health professionals. To provide an example of combinatory play, we recount how Robert Frost's poem “Mending Wall” inspired email blackout periods and an intervention for health researchers. Finally, we outline concrete strategies for public health professionals to integrate combinatory play into their lives. Overall, combinatory play is a promising practice for catalyzing novel solutions to public health issues while fueling the well-being of public health professionals themselves.