Your brain on improv: The mental benefits of making stuff up

One time I performed in a sci-fi themed improv show. The first scene was about a lady with a light in her belly in space and an evil man that was going to capture her. I hopped onstage during the second scene with two other improvisers, and sat down in a chair and started typing on an imaginary computer. In my mind we were going to be on a spaceship like the Starship Enterprise. The two other improvisers started speaking first and it soon became apparent that they were kids in the 1980s.

I needed to adjust and make this work, to add to the world that they were creating. I opened my mouth to speak. 

“This typewriter isn’t working and I need to write up my report,” I said. And that is how I became a younger brother research assistant in that show.

Pictured here: The author of this article, Amy Kraft, performing her heart and brain out!

That’s the magic of improv, and just a taste of the brain training behind it. You start with one idea, but the real gold comes from yes, and-ing your way into something unexpected. It’s not about sticking to your first thought, it’s about building something better together. And it turns out, that process is helpful for your brain.

Improv is A Workout for Your Brain

Let’s start with the science. Any new skill begins with learning how to do it. The human brain is able to learn new things because of a concept called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to form and reorganize connections in response to a new experience, practice, or even injury. It’s basically muscle memory, like when we learn to ride a bike, or practice a foreign language, or even relearn movement after a stroke. Neuroplasticity can be stimulated by various experiences, such as simple changes to a daily routine like taking a different route to work.

The more we challenge our brains to do something unfamiliar, the more flexible and resilient they become.

In a study published in Neuroregulation, researchers measured the brain waves of 32 adolescents with complex developmental trauma before and after a 20-minute comedy workshop. All participants were instructed to focus on the “yes, and” aspect of improv, agreeing with and adding to each other’s contributions while improvising. Researchers found that improv helped to regulate participants’ nervous systems, which controls emotional balance and how people respond to stress. EEG results showed an increase in brainwave coherence, allowing the prefrontal cortex to be more active.

The EGG results also showed measurable changes in brain function, suggesting that even a brief session of improv can help regulate the nervous system. The improv intervention also leads to a decrease in phase lag, or the delay in communication between different brain regions. Improv helped participants process information more smoothly.

In other words, improv teaches you how to adapt in real time, like mental gymnastics.

Pictured here: Amy explaining how improv turns your brain into a super muscular and talented gymnast. Or, doing very good object work.

Breathe In Improv Breathe Out Stress

Another brain benefit of improv is its ability to help reduce stress. Improv is inherently funny and fun (and if you are not having fun, doing it please find another group). Laughing and having fun naturally release feel-good chemicals in the brain like serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins. I know that, for me personally, I feel ten times better walking out of an improv class or show than I did before, even if I was already happy going in.

Improv also demands that performers stay fully present. You can’t plan your next line or dwell on what just happened onstage: you have to listen, respond, and adapt in real time. That kind of sustained attention to the here and now is, at its core, a form of mindfulness, the same mental state people try to cultivate through practices like meditation.

In fact, several studies link improv to some of the same brain benefits one might reap from practicing meditation. 

In one study, researchers found that people who engaged in regular improv theater training showed increases in areas of the brain related to acceptance and awareness. That same study showed that improv can help reduce uncertainty tolerance or the ability to handle uncertainty, which reduces stress. 

I’m no guru, but as someone who has improvised at least once a week for the past few years, I am living proof that improv has helped me in these ways.

In this picture, you’ll note how Amy is powerful and moustachioed and living proof of how incredible improv can be.

Improv for Introverts And Everyone Else)

Like any hobby or social activity, improv is a great way for people to get out of their comfort zone and to meet new people. In fact, it can also help people who struggle with socialization, especially adolescents, which can have lifelong benefits to their overall health and well-being.

The Improv Project from the Detroit Creativity Project brings free improv training to public schools in metro Detroit. In 2020, the team took the program online, expanding access beyond the city so that anyone could benefit from its creative, confidence-boosting magic. The program was also studied by Peter Felsman, a University of Michigan graduate student in social work and psychology, who found that participating in improv can improve students’ overall well-being and reduce anxiety. His research was published in The Arts in Psychotherapy.

Can Improv Help You Age Gracefully?

As someone who suffered a traumatic brain injury, and is at an increased risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease because of it, I’m especially interested in anything that supports brain health. So imagine my surprise and delight when I learned that improv can help keep a person’s brain sharp. Improv may not come with a 401(k) - a personal pension plan in the US, for non-US based readers - but it turns out it could be one of the smartest things I’ve done for my long-term brain health.

One study in the Journal of Aging Studies found that seniors who engaged in improv developed more flexible thinking and stronger social connections, two protective factors against cognitive decline.

Improv may also offer support to those already facing memory challenges. A pioneering program called The Memory Ensemble, developed by Northwestern University and the Lookingglass Theatre Company, used improvisational techniques with people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and other memory disorders. Instead of relying on recall, participants were encouraged to follow the moment, respond intuitively, and build confidence through play. The results? Increased self-esteem, reduced anxiety, and a renewed sense of connection.

And it’s not just anecdotal. A 2018 article in The Gerontologist emphasized how arts-based approaches like improv can enhance emotional regulation, build community, and improve quality of life in older adulthood. Also, if I’m being honest I would rather go out and have fun with people than sit in front of my computer and play boring memory games.

Improv has real, lasting value. I can’t prove it yet, but I believe that improv is a panacea, and I stand by that. 

Pictured here: Amy Kraft confidently asserting that impro(v) is a panacea. And drinking an excellent cup of coffee.