Those piano lessons might not turn your kid into the next Rachmaninov, but they are still likely to pay off later in life.

New research from Michigan State University shows that children who participated in arts and crafts activities as children were more likely to generate patents and businesses when they grew up.

The study, published in the latest Economic Development Quarterly, looked at MSU graduate students who majored in science, technology, engineering or mathematics from 1990-1995. Of that group, those students who went on to own their own businesses or patents had eight times more exposure to the arts in childhood (up to 14 years old) than the average person.

The type of art training also seemed to make a difference in the impact later in life … The reason? These activities promote innovative thinking from a young age.
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