In today's highly competitive society, many parents insist their children learn more and learn faster in order to “win at the starting line”. A recent study by the Department of Psychology at Lingnan University examining the relationship between stress and creativity has found that different types of stress, such as competition, noise, confined environments, and engaging in challenging tasks, may actually reduce children's creative performance, but adolescents and adults tend to show more innovative ability under moderate competitive pressure. The research findings have been published in top-tier international academic journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, and provide important insights in workplace management strategies, and for the education sector and creative industries.
Prof Huang Yi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Lingnan University, and her research team conducted a meta-analysis of 99 experimental studies on creative performance published worldwide over the past half-century (from 1965 to 2022), involving 8,749 participants ranging from primary school children to adults. The team divided them into three groups for in-depth analysis: children aged 12 and below, adolescents aged 13 to 17, and adults aged 18 and above.
The results showed that the impact of stress varies across different age groups, and different types of stress also affect individual creativity in distinct ways. For children, “common stressors” such as competition, physical stress including noise, confined environments, and performing time-limited or difficult tasks tend to trigger anxiety, and make it harder for them to express creativity. Nevertheless, the study also found that both adolescents and adults show a trend of enhanced creativity under competitive pressure, although examination stress generally has a negative impact on the creativity of all three age groups. Additionally, adults struggle to focus and think deeply under “deadline culture”, which impairs their creativity.
Prof Huang explained that children's brain regions responsible for higher-order thinking are not yet fully developed, resulting in weaker emotional regulation compared to adolescents and adults. As a result, children may not be able to cope effectively with stress, and are more sensitive to failure, and prone to anxiety. In contrast, adolescents and adults tend to perceive competition as a challenge, and under moderate pressure their creativity can actually be stimulated. However, adults juggling multiple roles and responsibilities experience a certain level of stress from the need to manage time effectively.
Prof Huang also emphasised that creativity is extremely important, explaining "From a psychological perspective, creativity is one of the core abilities that people rely on to solve problems in daily learning, life, and work. Creativity helps to connect new things with existing knowledge, and think outside the box and find alternative solutions when facing difficulties. Creativity is also related to mental health, and people with greater creativity tend to have more psychological flexibility and be better able to adjust their mindset when confronted with stress and adversity.”
She also noted that examinations, noise, and tight deadlines are typical forms of “Hong Kong-style stress.” These findings offer helpful guidance to educators, workplace managers, and the creative industries: to encourage creativity in children, competitive pressure should be reduced by cutting back on frequent evaluations, and replaced with a supportive environment that allows for free exploration. This helps children build positive emotions, social competence, and problem-solving skills, which are the best ways to unlock their creative potential.
For adolescents and adults, workplace managers can harness the motivating effects of competition by introducing moderately competitive elements when appropriate, such as establishing healthy peer review and collaboration mechanisms. Meanwhile, educational institutions and businesses should focus on setting reasonable deadlines, avoiding a culture of chronic overwork, and instead creating an environment that allows employees the space for deep thinking.
Prof Huang Yi and her research team publish a study on stress and creativity.
Lingnan University.
To understand their awareness of and interest in the Chinese tea culture, the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies at Lingnan University conducted a public opinion survey and analysis of the tea consumption habits of young people in the Hong Kong SAR. The findings show that more than three quarters of respondents drink Chinese tea regularly. However, as many as half also drink “flavoured tea” with sugar, floral flavours or milk frequently. The proportion of young people who drink tea regularly was significantly higher than soft and speciality drinks, although more than one third were unfamiliar with the health benefits of tea. Scholars point out that parents exert a strong influence on young people’s tea-drinking habits and suggest that different sectors of society might organise intergenerational activities to pass the Chinese tea culture on to younger generations.
Between March and July 2025, the researchers circulated a questionnaire to 488 Hong Kong SAR residents aged between 12 and 39 to find out how much they know about Chinese tea and related beverages and how much they drink. More than three quarters (76.2%) of respondents drink Chinese tea regularly, and the largest proportion (33.8%) drink Chinese tea one to four times a month Although this was a higher proportion than for coffee (25%), it remained lower than for other beverages. As many as 53.4 per cent of respondents consume speciality drinks such as bubble tea and fruit tea one to four times per month, followed by freshly squeezed juice (42.9%), soft drinks (39.6%), and packaged or bottled juice (38.1%).
The proportion of respondents who drank Chinese tea 11 or more times a month was 25.4 per cent, the highest of all beverage categories, surpassing coffee (17.5%), packaged or bottled juice (17.5%), soft drinks (14%), speciality drinks (10.8%), and freshly squeezed juice (6.3%), which suggests that some young people have developed a regular habit of drinking tea in the long-term (Figure 1).
Figure 1: The largest proportion of young respondents reported drinking Chinese tea one to four times a month (33.8%).
Regarding their preferences, young respondents usually preferred pu-erh (65%), followed by tieguanyin (49%) and jasmine tea (31%). However, nearly half of respondents (49%) also drink flavoured teas containing sugar, floral flavours or milk frequently (Figure 2), reflecting increasingly blurred boundaries between traditional and modern teas in younger generations.
Figure 2: Nearly half the respondents (49%) drink flavoured tea containing sugar, floral flavours or milk regularly.
When asked whose opinions influenced their choice of tea, 39.7 per cent of respondents said that their parents had a “great” or “strong” influence. By comparison, the influence of their friends (11.4%) and social media (11%) was much less (Figure 3), which shows the stronger role of families in passing on the Chinese tea culture to younger generations.
Figure 3: 39.7 per cent of young respondents said that their choice of tea was influenced to a “high” or “strong degree” by their parents.
The most common reasons for choosing a tea were the “aroma” (55%) or “taste” (50%). Nearly half (47%) also cited “family customs” - more than those who associated Chinese tea with “health benefits” (37%), “cultural identity” (19%), or “emotional stability” (17%) (Figure 4).
Figure 4: When asked why they drink tea, respondents usually said “aroma” (55%) or “taste” (50%).
However, young people who drink tea have a limited understanding of its health benefits. More than one third of respondents (34.1%) said that they “knew nothing about” or had “only heard of” these benefits of tea, and nearly half (44.2%) that they “knew nothing about” or had “only heard of” Chinese tea brewing techniques. The study also found that nearly 70% of respondents (68.1%) expressed “average”, “considerable”, or “very strong” interest in learning tea arts, which shows that although the Hong Kong younger generation’s knowledge of Chinese teas is limited, they are generally interested in learning more.
Prof Dickson Chan Chak-Kwan, Research Professor and Director of Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies at Lingnan University, said that traditional Chinese tea processing techniques and associated social practices were inscribed on the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2022. He noted that while the Chinese Mainland has actively promoted tea culture education for young people, the Hong Kong SAR still does not really understand the health benefits of tea or how to brew it, adding “Promoting tea culture helps pass on the essence of Chinese culture to younger generations. The study finds that parents have a great influence on forming the habit of tea drinking in their children, and recommends that primary and secondary schools and cultural organisations undertake activities that encourage parents and children to learn about Chinese tea together, so that tea drinking is encouraged and the cultural heritage of Chinese tea more effectively passed on to young people.”
Lingnan study finds more young people drink tea than soft drinks regularly. Generated picture.
Prof Chan also suggested that the education sector make the most of young people’s interest in the tea arts to develop their understanding of Chinese tea culture. Flavoured teas may initially build public awareness of the differences between pure and sugar-sweetened flavoured teas, reduce dependency on sugary beverages, and in the long run help promote a healthier diet.
"Research on Tea Consumption among Youth in Hong Kong" is part of the "Chinese Tea Promotion in Young People " Project (2024-2026). The project is sponsored by the Tin Ka Ping Foundation and aims to promote Chinese tea arts among young people and the public in Hong Kong through seminars and tea appreciation workshops, to encourage the understanding of Chinese traditional culture and promote physical and mental well-being.
