No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Creativity and Well‐being: A Meta‐analysis
Abstract
Creativity and well‐being are popular subjects in psychological and organizational studies. The recent literature presented mixed perspectives about the nature of the relationship between the two. Whereas the mad‐genius hypothesis, which was often explored among eminently creative individuals, seems to imply a negative relationship between the two, trends in the field of creativity, such as everyday creativity and general psychology (i.e., positive psychology) linked them positively. The present meta‐analysis study synthesized 189 effect sizes obtained from 32 samples in 26 different studies based on a total sample of 8,189. Analyses with multilevel modeling yielded a mean effect of r = .14. The moderator analysis tested the impact of age, gender, measure of creativity, measure of well‐being, stimulus type of creativity measure, and index of creativity measure. Only the creativity measure explained the variation in the study outcomes. The relationship between creativity and well‐being was significantly higher when creativity was measured by instruments focusing on creative activity and behavior (r = .22) than the divergent thinking tasks (r = .06). Those findings are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications.
... Creativity is associated with a pattern of constructive behavior that tends to betterment through constant adjustments, which results in psychological safety and becomes a strength of humans (Belmonte-Lillo & Parodi, 2017; Redó et al., 2021). Development of new solutions, perspectives and even products surely represents a path towards psychological well-being and personal development (Acar et al., 2021). Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed: H1. ...
... Creativity is negatively related to emotional exhaustion in a virtual work environment. 3 ...
... Creative thinking builds pathways that play a key role in self-development. Consequently, facing the challenges of a job position under a creative perspective, in addition to transferring meaning and 10 value to the effort, improves individual skills and promotes a mood that favors the employee's mental health (Acar et al., 2021). ...
Creativity and Emotional Exhaustion in Virtual Work Environments. The Ambiguous Role of Work Autonomy
... Managers must improve all aspects of their organizations' creativity to maximize workers' creative talent (Mayfield & Mayfield, 2010;April et al., 2019). Individual engagement shows the main benefit of everyday creativity (Acar et al., 2021). The need for further investments and improvements in research and development, in creating adequate and specific human capital with scientific and technical capabilities, as well as in increasing countries' capacities to retain and attract talent acts as a relevant indicator for creating the right conditions. ...
... The item with the lowest agreement rate was item 8 "My organization's politics prevent spontaneity in the workplace" (M=2.11, SD=1.271), corroborating the fact that companies that have an environment conducive to the integration of professionals promote spontaneity and creativity in the work environment (Acar et al., 2021). Concerning Tolerance, item 13 "Supervisors/team leaders in my work are committed to a representative workforce of all segments of society", obtained the highest level of agreement (M=3.96, ...
... Research has shown that companies with a favorable environment for integrating professionals promote spontaneity and creativity in the work environment (Acar et al., 2021). Integration between people is linked to the spontaneity of relationships that facilitate generating solutions to organizational challenges. ...
This paper investigates professionals' perceptions of workplace creativity and its connection to regional embeddedness. The research emphasizes the importance of talent, tolerance, and technology in fostering organizational creativity and its importance to the quality of life. Data were collected from 179 professionals in the Serra Gaúcha region, Brazil, using a Likert-scale questionnaire. Talent, tolerance, technology, and embeddedness were analyzed through descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, analysis of variance, and linear regression. The findings suggest challenging work, task control, and supportive organizational environments positively influence workplace creativity. Beyond the quality of life in the city, labor mobility and creative work are significant variables in the overall perception of quality of life. Additionally, significance tests reveal that micro-sized companies are the ones that most encourage creative work and that graduate workers perceive higher performance in diverse teams. This research contributes to a better understanding of professionals' perceptions of workplace creativity and its relationship with regional embeddedness. It provides valuable insights for organizations and policymakers to create environments that stimulate creativity and innovation, ultimately enhancing cities' overall well-being and prosperity.
... The stereotype that there may be a positive correlation between creativity and mental disorder-perhaps dating back to Aristotle 15 -suggests a possible negative phenotypic correlation between creativity and well-being [16][17][18][19] . A recent meta-analysis, however, imposes a challenge to this stereotype by reporting a small, but significant positive phenotypic correlation (.14) between creativity and well-being 20 . Probing genetic correlations between creativity and well-being may contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the genetic etiology and the nature of such relationships 21 . ...
... For Addhealth and WLS, due to the small sample and heterogeneity of the sample, the PGSs were not significant, except for scientific creativity, and creative achievement in WLS sample (p ≤ 6.77 × 10 −5 ). The findings of small predictive power were generally similar to those reported previously in social sciences 20 . ...
Creativity is one defining characteristic of human species. There have been mixed findings on how creativity relates to well-being, and little is known about its relationship with career success. We conduct a large-scale genome-wide association study to examine the genetic architecture of occupational creativity, and its genetic correlations with well-being and career success. The SNP-h² estimates range from 0.08 (for managerial creativity) to 0.22 (for artistic creativity). We record positive genetic correlations between occupational creativity with autism, and positive traits and well-being variables (e.g., physical height, and low levels of neuroticism, BMI, and non-cancer illness). While creativity share positive genetic overlaps with indicators of high career success (i.e., income, occupational status, and job satisfaction), it also has a positive genetic correlation with age at first birth and a negative genetic correlation with number of children, indicating creativity-related genes may reduce reproductive success.
... The literature recognizes the difficulty of distinguishing between crafts and arts, but the important retaining is that "the craft producer is one who invests his or her personality or self into the object produced" (Campbell, 2005, p. 27). It should be emphasized that the current research concentrates on the physical aspect of labor (handmaking) rather than the creativity that might be involved in the production (Acar et al., 2021), although creativity is commonly associated with handmade activities. However, making the difference between creative and noncreative handmade activities or the interrelations between mental and hand labor (Radman, 2013) is not the scope of this review. ...
... Future research could also explore the effects of cognitive labor on well-being. Literature linking creativity to well-being may suggest similar positive effects on well-being (Acar et al., 2021). ...
Building something with your hands, whether a piece of furniture, a scarf, or a vase, triggers a unique mental process enhancing a feeling of well‐being. Various research studies explore the potential effects of diverse types of activities involving hand labor. This scoping review analyzes 181 such studies spanning multiple disciplines (psychology, marketing, technology, design, health), and explores the richness of these activities and their distinct effects on individual and societal well‐being. Through this comprehensive analysis, the review enhances the understanding of the effects of handmade activities on consumer well‐being and advances marketing knowledge within the broader context of well‐being. Additionally, it probes into the commonalities among different academic theories, identifying gaps in existing marketing and psychology research and proposing paths for future exploration.
... Creativity is associated with a pattern of constructive behavior that tends to betterment through constant adjustments, which results in psychological safety and becomes a strength of humans [27,28]. Development of new solutions, perspectives, and even products surely represents a path towards psychological well-being and personal development [29]. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed: H1. ...
... Creative thinking builds pathways that play a key role in self-development. Consequently, facing the challenges of a job position under a creative perspective, in addition to transferring meaning and value to the effort, improves individual skills and promotes a mood that favors the employee's mental health [29]. ...
The results regarding the relationship between creativity in virtual work environments and its influence on emotional exhaustion are inconclusive. Furthermore, autonomy, when it loses its original purpose of acting as a job resource, takes on an ambiguous role that needs further research. Objective: To analyze the relationship between creativity and emotional exhaustion, along with the role assumed by work autonomy in this link, in an online work context. Methodology: The sample was formed of 448 employees with university studies. The statistical analysis was conducted through a simple moderation process. Results: Creativity and work autonomy mitigate emotional exhaustion. In fact, work autonomy plays a moderating role regarding the relationship between creativity and emotional exhaustion. Control over work surely reduces the impact of work-related stressors, and this safety climate promotes adaptive and original responses that improve employees’ emotional health. However, when creative demands coincide with an autonomy that extends working hours, instead of establishing limits, this supposed benefit becomes a demand that prevents employees from disconnecting, until emotionally exhausting them. Conclusion: A virtual work environment is an ideal habitat for creativity and self-management to improve employees’ emotional health, as long as work autonomy acts as a resource.
... Additionally, entrepreneurship's focus on innovation and adaptability makes it an ideal context for studying how gender biases influence creative processes and outcomes. Creativity, as highlighted by (Acar et al., 2020Caniels and Rietzschel, 2013Morais and Almeida, 2019Nehardani et al., 2017;Runco and Jaeger, 2012;Wechsler et al., 2018;Williams et al., 2016;Zhou and Shalley, 2008) is integral to innovation and organizational success. The 4P's creativity model, proposed by (Rhodes, 1961) and elaborated upon by (Azeez et al., 2022), provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the creative process. ...
... The integration of the Quintuple Helix model into The 4P's creativity model has a positive and significant impact on fostering creativity and innovation (Acar et al., 2020;Barth, 2011;Carayannis et al., 2012;Morais and Almeida, 2019;Wechsler et al., 2018). In the Person dimension, gender differences may exist regarding societal expectations, cultural norms, and individual experiences. ...
This study aims to explore gender differences in creativity exploration and work readiness among Generation Z employees in the workplace. It integrates the Quintuple Helix model with the 4P's creativity model to comprehensively understand how gender dynamics influence individuals' creative potential and readiness to thrive professionally. The study employed a quantitative approach, distributing questionnaires to 501 students with entrepreneurial experience. Path analysis with Partial Least Square (PLS) was used to analyze the data, including factors like factor loading, construct reliability, Average Variance Extracted (AVE), and discriminant validity. Structural equation modelling assessed direct, indirect, and overall effects. The results indicate that integrating the Quintuple Helix and 4P's creativity models positively impacts creativity exploration and work readiness. Gender dynamics influence individuals' self-perceptions, participation in creative processes, creative outcomes, and access to opportunities. Addressing gender biases and promoting inclusivity in skill development, collaborative processes, product design, leadership, and supportive policies can enhance work readiness for individuals of all genders. The study suggests that organizations and policymakers should proactively challenge gender stereotypes and biases, foster an inclusive culture, provide equal skill development opportunities, promote collaboration, challenge product biases, encourage gender diversity in leadership, and implement supportive policies. These actions can create a more equitable and innovative work environment that harnesses the full creative potential of the workforce and enhances overall work readiness.
... The results of the present study showed a significant relationship between psychological well-being and creative self-efficacy in high school students. These findings are consistent with the results of prior studies (Acar et al., 2021;Maarefvand & Shafiabady, 2024;Michinov & Michinov, 2023;Tajarod et al., 2014). Self-efficacy, a variable related to psychological well-being, is a distinct set of beliefs related to various domains of functioning, including self-regulation of thought processes, motivation, and emotional and physiological states. ...
... They are confident that they can manage potential threats, adapt well to conditions, experience less anxiety and depression, and have higher psychological wellbeing. Creative self-efficacy and psychological well-being are positive psychological variables that influence students' personal and academic behavior, leading to improved interpersonal relationships and academic performance (Acar et al., 2021;Tajarod et al., 2014). ...
Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between psychological well-being and creative self-efficacy in high school students. Methods and Materials: The research method was descriptive-correlational and applied in terms of purpose. The data collection method was field-based, using the Psychological Well-being Questionnaire by Ryff (1989) and the Creative Self-Efficacy Questionnaire by Beghetto (2006). The statistical population of this study included all male and female first-year high school students in District 5 of Tehran during the 2021-2022 academic year, totaling 10,000 individuals. According to Morgan's sampling table, 370 students were selected as the statistical sample through random sampling, and the questionnaires were distributed among them. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires were confirmed using expert opinions and Cronbach's alpha test. To test the research hypotheses, Pearson correlation coefficient was used with the help of SPSS software. Findings: Findings indicated a positive and significant relationship between all dimensions of psychological well-being and creative self-efficacy. Conclusion: It is recommended that workshops and educational classes be conducted to provide necessary awareness and training to adolescents, parents, and educational and training instructors on reducing anxiety, tension, and depression, as well as useful coping strategies. This will also help increase students' creative self-efficacy.
... In their sample of moral exemplars, Walker and Frimer (2007) also found that the exemplars displayed a more positive affective tone and scored higher in agency and communion (and other relationship-related constructs, such as quality of attachment) than the comparison group. With regards to creative and religious exemplars, recent meta-analyses also suggest that both creativity (Acar et al., 2021) and religious practice (Garssen et al., 2021) are modestly, yet positively related to well-being. Thus, moral, creative, and religious exemplars might show increased well-being in comparison to matched controls. ...
... For members of religious orders, this can be attributed to sample size, since at least large effects would have been required for obtaining confidence excluding zero. The findings for patent owners are in line with earlier findings using the VIA-IS and other instruments suggesting that creativity is only modestly positively related to well-being (Acar et al., 2021;Wagner et al., 2020). Since awardees were honored not only for their courage but also for their civic or humanitarian engagement, it is not surprising that these people report higher scores in relationship-related well-being, which both includes a sense of belongingness to one's community and also the willingness to support others when in need. ...
Objective
Which traits best describe individuals who are recognized as exemplary in different domains? And can self‐rated positively valued personality traits distinguish such individuals from the general population?
Background
The study of exemplary individuals’ personality traits traditionally focused on general and broad traits. Using character strengths, which are narrower and designed to describe desirable behavior, could provide new insights.
Method
In this study, we examined 204 outstanding individuals—exemplars who received or were nominated for a public award recognizing their exemplary behavior (e.g., a Carnegie Rescuers Award; n = 119), individuals holding a patent ( n = 62), and individuals living in a religious order ( n = 23). We compared these exemplars to comparison samples matched based on demographic variables. All participants completed self‐report questionnaires assessing character strengths and well‐being (e.g., satisfaction with life).
Results
Results showed that the three groups of exemplars differed meaningfully in their character strengths and well‐being from the matched comparison groups. Compared with matched counterparts, moral exemplars scored higher on the strengths related to the virtues of courage, humanity, and justice as well as the character strength of humility, creative exemplars scored higher on the character strengths of creativity and honesty, and religious exemplars scored higher on gratitude and spirituality.
Conclusion
Overall, our findings suggest that character strengths are a useful framework for studying exemplary behavior.
... Creativity-the generation of novel and useful ideas, insights, and solutions to specific situations and problems (Amabile, 1996;Amabile et al., 2005;Sternberg & Lubart, 1999)-allows people to effectively solve problems (Hélie & Sun, 2010), cope with opportunities and changes in their daily lives (e.g., crises caused by COVID-19; Tang et al., 2021), improve relationships (Carswell et al., 2019;J. Liu et al., 2023), and maintain and promote well-being (Acar et al., 2021). It is thus an important ability for individuals, organizations, and societies (Gino & Ariely, 2012). ...
Beyond our own experience in the “here and now,” humans are capable of imagining temporally and spatially distant situations, incorporating the perspectives of others, and considering hypothetical situations rather than real ones. This process of self-projection into temporal, spatial, social, or hypothetical reality is called mental simulation (MS). Because of the limitations of human imagination, the more distant a situation becomes in time, place, perspective, and likelihood, namely, the greater the psychological distance, the more difficult the simulation becomes. To date, no study has examined whether distal MS, which is far removed from reality, enhances creativity. Therefore, this study investigated whether creativity can be improved by using distal MS. Studies 1 (n = 207) and 2 (n = 456) tested whether distal MS (vs. control and proximal MS) could enhance adult creativity in Japanese participants. The Unusual Uses Task (Guilford, 1967) was utilized as the creativity task. Study 1 partially supported the research hypothesis. Study 2 showed that creativity was enhanced when participants were asked to perform distal MS using an abstract processing style that directed their attention to a larger context that included imaginary events. This indicates that abstraction links distal MS to creativity. Therefore, transcending one’s current experience and experiencing a distant observer enhance creative performance. These findings suggest new ways for teachers, business leaders, and others to promote creative thinking.
... Among the most common benefits, literature underlines the potential of technologies to (1) enhance child and educator engagement and motivation in school contexts (e.g., Hellín et al., 2023;Henriksen et al., 2018), with the possibility to increase the ability of contexts to provide more personalized learning experiences with a higher potential to fit students' individual preferences and thus capture their interest and respond more adequately to each student's learning pace and needs (Owan et al., 2023); (2) improve learning, developmental and mental health outcomes (e.g., Acar et al., 2020;An et al., 2022;Chen et al., 2024;Henriksen et al., 2018), both as a consequence of higher engagement, participation, and motivation, and also as part of the potential of AI-driven platforms and pedagogical innovations to provide targeted interventions and supports, timely effective feedback for students, as well to create new possibilities for learning. AI can support teaching and assessment practices by helping create personalized learning plans and providing data about students' progress and needs (Owan et al., 2023); (3) develop students' and educator's critical thinking skills (Higgins, 2014), which have been underlined as pivotal for lifelong success. ...
Creative education, supported by principles of educational psychology, has the potential to transform schools and classroom environments, leveraging innovative pedagogies and creating opportunities to enhance educators' and students’ skills, such as creativity. In this chapter, we examine the application of integrated strategies such as project-based learning, arts integration, and technology-enhanced approaches, highlighting the potential of these practices to transform education, as well as teaching and learning processes. The integration of key theoretical frameworks informs innovative teaching practices aimed at fostering creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities among learners. In addition, we explore the symbiotic relationship between creative education and educational psychology and highlight how collaborative partnerships between educational institutions, stakeholders, and policymakers can be crucial in identifying and disseminating effective strategies for promoting creativity and innovation in education. This comprehensive analysis can provide valuable insights into the efficacy of creative teaching methods in promoting equitable access to quality education and fostering inclusive learning environments. By embracing interdisciplinary collaborations and evidence-based approaches, educators can leverage these findings to tailor their instructional strategies, implement culturally responsive teaching practices, and address the diverse needs of their students effectively.
... Creativity has undoubtedly been a source of intrinsic motivation, playfulness, and personal delight for billions of people, including young children (Dumas et al., 2023;Russ, 2014;Vygotsky, 1930). It is extremely common for individuals, even those who are not engaged in a creative profession, to report having creative hobbies (Silvia et al., 2023), and creativity has been described as an important source of well-being for any person, regardless of the way they make their living (Acar et al., 2021;Kaufman, 2023). For some researchers, creativity is most accurately described as a personality attribute (Mackinnon, 1965;Martinsen, 2011) or as a general disposition toward life (Sternberg, 2018) that is not necessarily uncommon, but instead DEVELOPMENT OF CREATIVITY 4 expressed with relative regularity in the population, especially when the context is conducive (Amabile et al., 1996). ...
How does creativity develop from a nearly ubiquitous and domain-general capacity associated with playfulness and openness to experience, to a highly rarified and domain-specific ability associated with invention and innovation? In this short report, I describe creativity along two dimensions: self- and socially-referenced creativity. In self-referenced creativity, only the creators themselves judge the novelty and usefulness of an idea, while in socially-referenced creativity, others make the judgements. For education to support creativity, it should therefore leverage (not squash) the self-referenced creativity that learners enter schooling with, while simultaneously supporting learners in a transition to a more socially-referenced creativity within a domain. Based on the psychological characteristics of learners at different points in their academic development, I suggest activities that would be maximally fruitful in the process of developing domain creativity. Because these activities allow learners to engage their self-referenced creativity, but also require them to apply their domain knowledge to predict what others in the domain would view as novel or useful, they support the development of socially-referenced creativity and exemplify the goals of creative education.
... For instance, a marketing team might develop a unique campaign that effectively engages the target audience, a software engineer could design a novel user-friendly interface that optimizes user experience, or a nurse may devise an innovative and efficient approach to improve healthcare outcomes. Creativity plays also a significant role in everyday life, contributing to well-being (Acar et al., 2021), adaptability (Orkibi, 2021), and personal development (Sarnoff & Cole, 1983). These creative pursuits not only enrich our lives but also offer opportunities for selfexpression, stress reduction, and cognitive engagement (Benedek et al., 2020). ...
Background
Games, and board games in particular, have shown themselves to be a promising avenue to help improve creative potential. However, these findings do not explain the reason as to why board games would be linked to or improve creativity. This paper focuses on one particular variable that could mediate the links between board game play habits and creativity: playfulness.
Method
This quantitative study first examined whether board game play habits are positively related to two creativity measures: creative self-concept and creativity in the workplace. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that playfulness would have a mediating effect between board game play habits and creativity outcomes. Data was collected from 327 French workers using online recruitment through social networks, by means of a questionnaire-based survey.
Results
Results show that board game play habits are positively correlated with both creativity in the workplace and creative self-concept. Furthermore, the adult playfulness dimension of fun-seeking motivation mediate the relationship between board game play habits and both creativity in the workplace and creative self-concept.
Discussion
Playing more board games is associated with higher playfulness, which in turn is associated with more creativity in the workplace and higher creative self-concept. These findings suggest that encouraging board game play, notably playing a broad range of board games, could help foster playfulness and thus improve creativity.
... Creative thinking is vital for learning (Gajda et al., 2017) and well-being (Acar et al., 2021;Kaufman, 2018Kaufman, , 2023, as is ToM (Lecce et al., 2017(Lecce et al., , 2021Lockl et al., 2017;Smogorzewska et al., 2020Smogorzewska et al., , 2022. Studies concerning both abilities show that they are important for children's general functioning at school -they positively impact academic achievement, and are significant for children's overall mental health and academic satisfaction. ...
In this study, we explored the relationships among children's creative imagery abilities, their theory of mind (ToM) and loneliness. A large sample (N = 743) of primary school-age children (M age = 9.3 years, SD = 0.45 years) solved two performance tasks (creative imagery and ToM) and provided self-reported frequencies of feelings of loneliness. We tested the fit of a structural equation model with aspects of creative abilities (creative imagery and fluency) as predictors of ToM and examined the links between ToM and the quality of relationships with peers and the frequency of feelings of loneliness. The obtained relationships indicate a positive association between creative imagery and ToM and a negative link between ToM and feelings of loneliness. Consequently, the indirect effect of "creative imagery-ToM-loneliness" was negative, which suggests that creative imagery might serve as a factor that reduces the feeling of loneliness among children due to their ToM. We discuss the potential consequences of these findings and propose future avenues that could be explored to untangle the mechanisms behind the identified links. Educational relevance and implications statement In the study, we analysed the relationships among creative abilities, ToM and feelings of loneliness among children of primary school age. Our results show that richer creative imagery is positively associated with abilities to understand others. Moreover, children with advanced ToM feel less lonely at school among peers than those without such levels of ToM. Consequently, we posit that creative imagery might bring some overlooked benefits for children's social functioning, thanks to the role it plays for ToM.
... ▪ Positive link between creativity and well-being (Acar et al., 2021). o Disrupting equilibrium and allowing creative adjustment (Runco, 1999). ...
This study investigated the relationship between childhood experiences (positive or negative) and creativity and examined if adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are moderated or mediated by resilience. Two creativity measures, The Inventory of Creative Activities and Achievements (ICAA) and two verbal Alternate Uses Test (AUT) items, were used. Hypotheses were tested by hierarchical multiple regression analysis, where the dependent variable was creativity, and the predictor variables were ACE, BCE, and resilience (Step 2), which were added into the regression model after the demographic variables of age and gender (Step 1). ACE X resilience interaction effect was tested in the next step to test the moderation effect (Step 3). A separate path model tested the mediating effect of resilience between ACE and creativity. Overall, the results showed that the model in Step 2 was significant, and both ACE and resilience were significantly and positively associated with creativity as measured by ICAA whereas none predicted AUT performance. While ACE was negatively correlated with resilience, BCE was positively correlated with resilience and did not predict creativity. There was no support for mediating or moderating effect of resilience. Findings are discussed in terms of theories of creativity and human development.
... In fact, there was a meta-analysis based on 8,189 participants from 26 different studies. The results showed a significantly positive correlation between creativity and well-being (Acar et al., 2021). ...
Based on the Entropy Model of Uncertainty, this study aimed to investigate the predictive effect of tolerance for ambiguity on happiness among Chinese college students, the mediating role of students’ creativity in this relationship, and the differences in the predictive and mediating effects between art and science students. Using one-wave cross-sectional survey research design and convenience sampling method, participants were voluntarily and anonymously recruited online. The final sample included 378 college students aged from 16.93 to 26.76 years, with 92 males and 286 females. The self-reported data were accumulated via the Chinese versions of the Multiple Stimulus Types Tolerance for Ambiguity Scale-II, the self-rated creativity scale, and the short-form version of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. The structural equation modeling results revealed that tolerance for ambiguity positively predicted happiness, and creativity fully mediated this relationship among the total sample and art students, rather than science students. Specifically, for the total sample and art students, tolerance for ambiguity positively predicted creativity, which, in turn, positively predicted happiness. However, for science students, the positive predictive effects of tolerance for ambiguity on happiness and creativity were not significant. When controlling for tolerance for ambiguity, creativity positively predicted happiness. Furthermore, the multiple-group invariance test results revealed that the predictive paths from tolerance for ambiguity to happiness and creativity, and from tolerance for ambiguity and creativity to happiness, were invariant across majors. Meanwhile, the major differences in the estimates of the direct and indirect effects were not significant. Therefore, the predictive patterns were equivalent across majors.
... Creativity is a multifaceted concept and is commonly defined as a behavior or outcome that is both novel and appropriate (Plucker et al., 2004). A large number of studies have shown that creativity is beneficial for human development and performance such as lowering the perception of task difficulty (e.g., Richard et al., 2018) and increasing resilience (Metzl, 2009), happiness , well-being (Acar et al., 2021;Tan et al., 2021), and sales performance (Lussier et al., 2017), just to name a few. Researchers from different disciplines are thus keen to discover ways to enhance creativity. ...
... Everyday creativity also appears to offer myriad benefits to individual wellbeing (Acar et al., 2021;Holinger & Kaufman, 2023). The very act of creating appears to improve life satisfaction and reduce perceived stress (Fiori et al., 2022), provides a sense of social connection (Piechowski-Jozwiak et al., 2017), and promotes social equality and greater https://doi.org/10.53841/bpsopo.2024.3.1.28 ...
Creativity appears to be important to both organisational performance and employee wellbeing but understanding of the individual differences that support the creative process is incomplete. High sensitivity of the nervous system - to both internal bodily states and external context – has been associated with creative potential in the wider psychological literature, but occupational research into sensitivity is sparse. Research that has explored sensitivity in the workplace tends to focus on the vulnerabilities of the trait, such as stress and burnout. This commentary paper calls for further research into the relationship between sensitivity and creativity in the workplace, which has the potential to inform applied practice in the context of both employee wellbeing and talent management to the benefit of highly sensitive employees and their employers.
... Creative behavior has been found to positively impact both job satisfaction 56 and individual well-being. 57 Additionally, when an organization fosters an environment that embraces creativity among its members-of which SFC is a prime example-this positive influence extends beyond the individual. ...
Introduction
Health care professionals often generate novel solutions to solve problems during day‐to‐day patient care. However, less is known about generating novel and useful (i.e., creative) ideas in the face of health care system failure. System failures are high‐impact and increasingly frequent events in health care organizations, and front‐line professionals may have uniquely valuable expertise to address such occurrences.
Methods
Our interdisciplinary team, blending expertise in health care management, economics, psychology, and clinical practice, reviewed the literature on creativity and system failures in health care to generate a conceptual model that describes this process. Drawing on appraisal theory, we iteratively refined the model by integrating various theories with key concepts of system failures, creativity, and health care worker's well‐being.
Results
The SFC model provides a conceptualization of creativity from front‐line care professionals as it emerges in situations of failure or crisis. It describes the pathways by which professionals respond proactively to a systems failure with creative ideas to effectively address the situation and affect these workers' well‐being.
Conclusions
Our conceptual model guides health care managers and leaders to use managerial practices to shape their systems and support creativity, especially when facing system failures. It introduces a framework for examining system‐failing creativity (SFC) and general creativity, aiming to improve health care quality, health care workers' well‐being, and organizational outcomes.
... Increased perspective-taking is displayed by people feeling positive emotions (Nelson, 2009;Waugh & Fredrickson, 2006). A recent meta-analysis study (Acar et al., 2021) suggests that individuals experiencing positive affect are enabled to derive more connections between different variables, thus often recognizing problems and integrating multiple information. Thus, positive affect may enable perspective-taking by bringing flexibility to the thinking process of an individual which allows them to consider multiple alternatives of thoughts and actions. ...
Service organizations, particularly in the hospitality sector, are constantly under pressure to meet the ever-increasing and ever-changing expectations of the customers, in an innovative manner; making employee creativity a mainstream demand. Researchers and practitioners are pondering ways to frame employee creativity in the hospitality industry. This study aims to empirically investigate the role of positive affect in framing employee creativity in the hospitality industry. The broaden-and-build theory was employed to explain the framework under study, examining relations between affective, cognitive, psychological, and social factors that may shape employee creativity in the hospitality industry. Data was collected from 391 employees, working in hotels and restaurants in Pakistan, on a structured survey, by using a purposive sampling approach. The PLS-SEM approach was considered for data analysis. The findings show a positive relationship between positive affect and perspective-taking. The previously understudied relationship between perspective-taking and thriving at work was found significant. The relationship of perspective-taking with structural and relational social capital was also found significant. Supporting prior research, our results show that thriving at work and relational social capital lead to employee creativity. Interestingly, the relationship between structural social capital and employee creativity was insignificant. This study provides valuable insights for practitioners and hospitality managers to shape employee creativity by considering positive affect as a stimulator.
... Education is very effective in developing and strengthening creative and critical thinking, and it is the educator who must nurture this talent in students with their creative methods and initiatives. Creative thinking refers to a type of thinking that leads to new perspectives, emerging approaches, fresh outlooks, and new ways of understanding and perceiving objects and situations (Acar et al., 2021;Allen et al., 2019). ...
Objective: Recognizing the factors that influence creativity and enhancing creative skills is essential to facilitate the enhancement of creativity in environments such as schools. Therefore, the current research aims to examine the role of individual and social variables in predicting students' creative progress. Methods and Materials: This applied research was conducted with a mixed-method approach and an exploratory design. The qualitative sample consisted of 25 professors from the educational management departments of universities in Mashhad, selected through purposive sampling and considering the saturation rule. The quantitative sample included all school managers working in middle and high schools in the sacred city of Mashhad, with a sample size of 172 individuals, calculated based on Cochran's formula. In the qualitative section, semi-structured interviews were used, while in the quantitative section, a researcher-developed questionnaire was employed. Findings: The qualitative results identified two main categories: intra-personal skills and inter-personal skills, along with six subcategories: technical skills, problem-solving skills, ethical skills, emotional competencies, cognitive competencies, and social competencies derived from the interviews. Structural equation modeling results indicated that creative self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation are significant predictors of creative advancement. Wisdom did not significantly predict creativity, while general self-efficacy indirectly predicted creativity through its impact on creative self-efficacy. The university environment also had a significant role in predicting students' creative advancement. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the current research, considering social factors alongside individual factors provides a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of students' creativity.
... The metaanalysis by Acar et al. (2020) is particularly relevant, as it underscores the dual role of creativity as both a contributor to and a product of psychological well-being. This dual role highlights the need for a deeper understanding of the emotional experiences of creative individuals, not only as a byproduct of their creative endeavors but also as a fundamental aspect of their creative identity and process (Acar et al., 2021). Furthermore, the work of Anderson and Haney (2021) provides valuable insights into the role of reflection in the creative process of adolescents. ...
Objective: The primary objective of this study is to explore and conceptualize the phenomenon of psychological restlessness in creative individuals and its impact on their mental health. The study aims to understand the interplay between creativity, emotional experiences, and cognitive processes, and to propose effective therapeutic interventions for addressing the unique challenges faced by creative personalities. Methods and Materials: This research employs a qualitative analysis methodology, utilizing a comprehensive literature review as its main approach. The study systematically examines peer-reviewed articles, academic journals, and relevant publications focusing on creativity, psychological restlessness, mental health in creative individuals, and therapeutic interventions. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) method is used to ensure a thorough and unbiased collection and analysis of the literature. Findings: The study reveals that psychological restlessness in creative individuals is a multifaceted phenomenon characterized by high cognitive perseverance, emotional complexity, and a unique set of psychological needs. It underscores the crucial role of emotional experiences and cognitive styles in the creative process. The findings suggest that psychological restlessness, often viewed negatively, can be harnessed to enhance creative expression and personal growth. The study also identifies the need for specialized therapeutic interventions tailored to the psychological landscape of creative individuals. Conclusion: This research contributes to the understanding of the psychological dimensions of creativity, emphasizing the significance of psychological restlessness in the creative process. It challenges traditional views of this state as solely detrimental and opens new avenues for exploring its potential as a driver of creativity. The study highlights the importance of developing targeted therapeutic interventions and support systems to nurture the mental and emotional well-being of creative individuals, thereby enhancing their creative potential and overall quality of life.
... A variety of studies confirm that intrinsic motivation is important for creativity (Amabile and Pillemer 2012;de Jesus et al. 2013;Prabhu et al. 2008), and even for business innovation, which typically also leverages on monetary incentives (Sauerman and Cohen 2010;Gibbs et al. 2017). Enjoyment deriving from intrinsic motivation has been studied in psychology with a meta-analysis confirming the positive association between creativity (measured as expert assessment, creativity test, or self-report) and well-being, both socio-emotional and cognitive (Acar et al. 2020). Attempts to find causality from creativity to well-being obtain some positive results, justified by a strengthening of inner resources, such as functioning, autonomy, and internal locus of control (Conner et al. 2018;Bujacz et al. 2016;Flor et al. 2013). ...
Economic development requires endogenous novelties, according to evolutionary economics. To find the endogenous source of novelties, we focus on the creativity of ordinary people when they forge their life path. We argue that such ‘life creativity’ is endogenous to the economic system because it is a typical capability of human beings, because it is intrinsically motivated, thus directly yielding well-being, and because it can be developed with better economic conditions. The paper first introduces the insights of three pioneers of evolutionary economics; it proceeds by showing the key role of creativity in human evolution; then it proposes ‘creative activity’ as an input-output technology that is both useful for and conditioned by economic development. It concludes by contrasting the Industrial Revolution in Britain with the ICT revolution in the US for their different effects of successful innovations on life creativity and well-being.
... Ao serem questionados se eles se consideravam criativos, a maioria dos professores disseram que sim, o que também ocorreu no estudo de Flora e Sobrinho (2022). Este é um apontamento importante, visto que a criatividade se relaciona ao bem-estar pessoal (ACAR et al., 2021). Em nosso estudo, apenas a P6 apresentou uma resposta diferente: "Humm... Às vezes eu acho que sim, às vezes eu tenho certeza que não", o que demonstra uma compreensão diferente a respeito da criatividade, entendendo-a não como uma característica intrínseca da pessoa, mas como algo que está sujeita à influência de outros fatores, como a motivação e o ambiente. ...
Este trabalho busca analisar criticamente as perspectivas do uso da Inteligência Artificial nos processos de criatividade na formação docente no contexto escolar de estudantes do 9º ano do ensino fundamental em duas escolas públicas da zona urbana do município de Novo Gama (GO). Tal temática emerge principalmente da popularidade de novas soluções de inteligência artificial generativa, como o ChatGPT, capazes de redigir textos que não apenas parecem ter sido escritos por um ser humano, como são capazes de responder de forma satisfatória inúmeros tipos de questões, o que abre o debate sobre o seu emprego no ambiente educacional. O estudo caracteriza-se com uma abordagem qua-litativa, segue com revisão bibliográfica, trata-se de uma pesquisa empírica com estudo de campo, a partir de entrevistas semiestruturadas com análise de conteúdo em Bardin (2011) e categorização e triangulação de dados em Triviños (1987). Após análise das respostas dos professores, verificamos que eles percebem que a formação dos docentes ainda deixa a desejar quanto à discussão sobre o uso da IA. No entanto, a maioria dos professores entrevistados se mostraram dispos-tos a aprender mais sobre IA, não a enxergando necessariamente como algo negativo e capaz de substituí-los no papel de professor, mas como um recurso que pode ajudar inclusive na produção criativa dos alunos, sob a mediação do professor.
... Creativity has often been evaluated by assessing the novelty and usefulness of the ideas and artifacts generated during the creative process (Boden, 2004;Runco and Jaeger, 2012). However, it is also important to acknowledge that engaging in the creative process has intrinsic value for humans, independent from the artifacts that are produced (Keenan-Lechel et al., 2023;Acar et al., 2021;Benedek et al., 2020;Csikszentmihalyi, 2013;Warr et al., 2018). Part of what makes participating in the creative process enjoyable is the idea of 'flow experiences', which are characterized by immersive engagement in the process itself, irrespective of the eventual outcome (Csikszentmihalyi, 1999). ...
The development of generative AI has led to novel ways that technology can be integrated into creative activities. However, this has also raised concerns about how human creators will be affected, and what impact it may have on creative industries. As a result, there has been research into how we can design AI tools that work with human creators, rather than replacing them. In this paper we review approaches utilized to build AI tools that facilitate human creativity and allow users to engage fully and authentically in the creative process. These include leveraging AI models to help us shed light on
elements of the creative process, building interfaces that encourage
exploration of ideas, and designing technological affordances that can support the development of new creative practices.
... I felt sane, functioning, and focused on creating a project to keep me occupied for several weeks. I believe my project exemplifies a reality known to scientists for several decades: creativity and people's sense of well-being are mutually related [14,15]. Moreover, researchers have found an essential causal relationship in which engaging in a creative effort positively affects people's mental health and sense of well-being [16][17][18][19] and, in some instances, can predict an improvement in one's sense of well-being [20]. ...
It was March-April 2020. The first few weeks of the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown had just begun. Anxiety levels were high, and being locked up at home was an unfamiliar and eerie situation. A music therapist sent her clients (elementary school children on the autism spectrum) daily videos of her dog, Robben, during his daily routines. She dubbed the dog as if he told the children a story about a tail-less cat. This endeavor resulted in a series of 27 storytelling episodes titled “Robben’s Pandemic Adventures”, which the clients awaited day by day. The current autoethnographic report unveils this music therapist’s storytelling experience. Every day she had to produce new creative content for the next episodes of her dog’s “adventures”, connecting his daily routines, character, and hobbies to the pandemic reality. In this process, she gave her dog a voice, and he “told” daily chapters in an allegoric story about one very unusual cat. The reflections focus on personal and professional lessons learned in the process for the therapist herself and her clients. In addition, the value of children’s stories during times of crisis and turmoil - to both the adult storyteller and the children listening - is discussed and connected to the global COVID-19 crisis.
... These three outcomes are interrelated but have different consequences for the prosperity of individuals and organizations. In terms of interrelations, creativity and well-being have been shown to be correlated (e.g., Acar, Tadik, Myers, Sman & Uysal, 2021;Lyubomirsky, King & Diener, 2005;Richards, 2023), and there was a positive relationship between well-being and engagement (e.g., Bellet, De Neve & Ward, 2023;Sutton, 2020;Wright & Huang, 2012). Regarding the difference in the influence on individuals and organizations, engagement increases immediate productivity, such as task performance (Rich, Lepine & Crawford, 2010), and creativity is a crucial antecedent for producing innovations, such as idiosyncratic products or services (e.g., Amabile et al., 1996;Gubler, Larkin & Pierce, 2017;Zhou & Hoever, 2014). ...
... In addition, good mental health improves memory, cognitive function, and learning abilities (Furhmann et al., 2022;Langer et al., 2017). In other words, employees with good affective well-being have a high proclivity to retain information, get new knowledge, and as a result, improve creativity, innovation, productivity, and performance (Tan et al., 2021;Acar et al., 2020). Furthermore, affective well-being helps reduce stress and anxiety (Schneiderman et al., 2005). ...
... Although most of the existing research examining relationships between affect and creativity has examined how affect impacts creative performance (e.g., Amabile et al., 2005;Baas et al., 2008;de Dreu et al., 2008;To et al., 2012), some clinical psychology research has examined the efficacy of art therapy or artistic expression on positive and negative affect, stress, anxiety, depression, and other similar outcomes (Beauregard, 2014;Bell & Robbins, 2007;Drake & Winner, 2012). Likewise, positive psychology frequently draws connections among creativity, self-actualization, positive affect, and well-being (Acar, Tadik, Myers, van der Sman, & Uysal, 2021;Ceci & Kumar, 2016). In one study examining the relationship between creative activity and well-being, Conner et al. (2018) used experience sampling methodology to examine how creative activity-operationalized as "Overall how creative were you today?" (p. ...
The present research examines how creative process engagement (information gathering, idea generation, idea evaluation, and idea pitch) influences the affective states of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA). Drawing from motivation theory and research, we proposed that creative process behaviors that are more autonomous and less constrained will increase positive affect. Additionally, creative process behaviors that are more likely to be perceived as making negative goal progress are expected to result in higher levels of negative affect. We also examine boundary conditions of these effects including task‐relevant knowledge, perceived performance, and baseline affect. Results from two studies confirm that idea generation, which is considered an autonomous activity, increases PA levels. This effect holds true across varying starting affect levels (excited, calm, and neutral). Moreover, results confirm that information search, which may be perceived as making negative goal progress, increases NA levels and PA levels decrease when task‐relevant knowledge is low. The effects of idea evaluation and idea pitch on PA and NA are mixed across the two studies. The implications of these findings for understanding how the creative process impacts affect are discussed.
... Also, it was argued that the direction of the relationship differentiates between the type of psychopathology, the domain of creativity and the scales used to assess creativity. 18 Considering the above, the purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between daydreaming, creativity and well-being and provide further evidence on the direction of this association. In addition, a late adolescent sample was used, as to the best of our knowledge, previous research on the subject matter has been primarily conducted on adults. ...
An extensive number of studies have been conducted on the relationship between daydreaming, creativity and well-being, with mixed results, nonetheless. Particularly, research has demonstrated both positive and negative effects of daydreaming on creativity and well-being, as well as of creativity on well-being. In addition, most studies have been conducted on adults. Therefore, the purpose of this survey-based study conducted in, Delhi University in May 2023 was to further explore the relationship among the aforesaid constructs on a sample of late adolescents. To this aim, 622 Indian were asked to complete three psychometrically validated scales. The following research hypotheses were proposed: H1) Daydreaming would be a statistically significant predictor of creativity; H2) Daydreaming would be a statistically significant predictor of overall distress, stress, anxiety and depression; H3) There would be a statistically significant difference in daydreaming among severity levels of stress, anxiety and depression; H4) Creativity would be a statistically significant predictor of overall distress, stress, anxiety and depression; and H5) There would be a statistically significant difference in creativity among severity levels of stress, anxiety and depression. Results showed that daydreaming was not a statistically significant predictor of creativity, but greater daydreaming was related to higher distress, stress, anxiety and depression. Furthermore, participants with higher creativity experienced greater anxiety. Nevertheless, creativity was not a statistically significant predictor of distress, stress and depression. Finally, participants with extremely severe depression displayed lower creativity than those with moderate depression. Further research is advised before practical implications are recommended.
Cette étude a pour objectif de mesurer les concepts de bien-être, d’engagement académique et de perception positive des technologies auprès des étudiants et étudiantes en formation initiale à l’enseignement en Belgique francophone, au moyen d’une enquête menée à l’automne 2023 (N = 175). Dans un contexte marqué par une pénurie de personnel enseignant et une réforme de sa formation, il semble pertinent d’examiner ces concepts pour mieux comprendre ce qui contribue au développement d’une identité professionnelle positive. Les résultats indiquent que l’engagement académique et la perception positive des technologies sont significativement liés au bien-être, bien qu’aucun lien significatif n’a pu être établi entre engagement académique et perception positive des technologies.
The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the Predict‐Explain‐Observe‐Discuss‐Explain (PEODE)‐based laboratory on enhancing the verbal and figural creativity of gifted students. The quasi‐experimental research design utilised a pre‐ and post‐test approach with a non‐equivalent control group, consisting of 60 sixth‐grade gifted students. The participants were randomly assigned into two groups: the experimental group (EG; n = 30) and the control group (CG; n = 30). During the study, the control group underwent traditional laboratory tasks, whereas the experimental group participated in PEODE‐based laboratory tasks. Both groups engaged in laboratory work for a total of 16 h. Data were collected using the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT) scale, and statistical analysis methods were applied. The results revealed significant differences in favour of the EG regarding both verbal and figural creativity. These findings suggest that the PEODE‐based laboratory approach can effectively enhance the creative abilities of gifted students.
Purpose –The current study aims to thoroughly investigate the relationship between the implementation of remote work and the creativity of faculty members, while also exploring the serially mediating role of work-life balance and psychological well-being within this relationship. Design/methodology/approach –The quantitative data approach of conducting an online survey was utilized, and the survey was distributed via emails and social media platforms. Through convenience sampling there were a total of 378 participants consisting of faculty members working in Jordan. The IBM SPSS Statistics software (version 29) was used to analyze and process the collected data. In, to test the hypothesized directed relationships and facilitate the conduction of the mediation and serial mediation analyses, Hayse Process 4.1 (model 6) was also utilized. Findings – The study concluded that both work-life balance and psychological well-being have mediating roles in the relationship between remote work and creativity. Additionally, work-life balance and psychological well-being serially mediate the relationship between remote work and creativity. Originality/value –The current study contributes to the literature by investigating both the direct and indirect impacts of remote work on the creativity of faculty members, addressing the immature link and limited research on this relationship, as well as the lack of focus on the higher education sector.
This research addresses the role of different phases of consumption—anticipation, acquisition, and usage—in the relationship between clothing consumption curtailment (CCC) and increased consumer subjective well-being (CSWB). Building on past research, we theorize and empirically explore whether increased CSWB is explained by a change in focus from acquisition to usage. Through a content analysis of 140 blog posts from clothes shopping detoxers, we unearth how reduced acquisition and intensive and extended usage manifest in CCC practices. Furthermore, we apply structural equation modeling (SEM) to representative survey data (N = 661) to show that focusing on acquisition reduction is not associated with CSWB, while intensive and extended usage are positively associated with CSWB. In addition, we establish that this relationship is partially mediated by improved body image. Our results open a path for further research, and can be utilized in social marketing to promote the intensive usage rather than acquisition of clothing.
The present cross-sectional study examined some of the factors associated with
psychological distress among students enrolled in Bachelor's and Master's programs. We investigated the roles of age, academic performance, creativity, cognitive flexibility, educational mattering, and anti-mattering. Our sample comprised 337 students from a Romanian public university, aged 19 to 29 (M = 20.86, SD = 1.55). Correlation analysis suggested that age, cognitive flexibility, educational mattering, and creativity were negatively related to students' psychological distress. Also, educational anti-mattering was positively linked to psychological distress. We did not find a significant link between students' psychological distress and academic performance. Further regression analysis suggested that educational anti-mattering was the strongest predictor of students' psychological distress. The practical implications of these findings are discussed concerning educational and psychological interventions that might contribute to decreased students' psychological distress.
Interest in nurturing individuals' creative potential is rising. Yet, the potential benefits of incorporating creative embodied activities have been neglected in both applied and research settings. To address this gap, this study examined the effects of a Creative Dance program on university students' creative self‐efficacy, emotional creativity, tolerance to ambiguity, and ideation behaviors. A total of 143 undergraduate students participated, either in the Creative Dance intervention or a sport‐based control group for 15 weeks. A mixed‐method approach using questionnaires and focus groups was adopted. Linear mixed effects models showed that engaging in Creative Dance had a significant effect on ideational behaviors and tolerance to ambiguity. Specifically, students in the intervention condition improved their ideational behaviors and remained stable in their tolerance to ambiguity compared to student in the control condition who remained stable and regressed on those variables respectively. Focus group results highlighted the social effects of the intervention, which help to contextualize the quantitative findings. This study underscores the importance of integrating creative embodied activities to foster individuals' creative potential while highlighting the need to develop comprehensive assessment tools to capture the dynamic interplay between individuals and their environment throughout this process.
The unbridled positivity toward curiosity and creativity may be excessive. Both aid species survival through exploration and advancement. These beneficial effects are well documented. What remains is to understand their optimal levels and contexts for maximal achievement, health, and well-being. Every beneficial element to individuals and groups carries the potential for harm – curiosity and creativity included.
Most research on the creative process has focused on idea generation, and the prevalence and influence of many other creative subprocesses remain poorly understood. To clarify different subprocesses' respective roles in creative work, this study investigated their frequencies and associations with creativity-related personal characteristics and product creativity. Undergraduate students (n = 266) articulated their creative thought processes via the think aloud method while completing an open-ended drawing task and completed questionnaires assessing creativity-relevant personal characteristics. Drawings were rated for creativity by quasi-expert judges. Transcripts were coded using an a priori coding scheme informed by models of the creative process, including generation (14%), elaboration (26%), association (9%), selection (4%), evaluation (13%), anchoring (13%), metacognition (7%), and filler (14%). Subprocess frequencies correlated minimally with measures of personal characteristics, although several significant, albeit weak, relationships emerged. A hierarchical regression analysis indicated that the best predictors of drawing creativity were aesthetic fluency, the frequency of anchoring, time spent on task, and, marginally, the frequency of generation. Together, these results provide insight into how relevant personal characteristics and subprocess engagement contribute to drawing creativity and highlight the particular importance of anchoring, which involves monitoring and refining task-related goals and constraints, throughout the creative process.
Promoting active and successful aging has become crucial to improve quality of life in later adulthood and reduce the impact of cognitive decline. Increasing evidence suggested that the ability to think creatively (e.g., via divergent thinking), similar to cognitive reserve, could represent a beneficial factor against the negative effects of aging. However, there is still little evidence investigating the relationships between divergent thinking, cognitive functions, and cognitive reserve in late adulthood. The present study explored these relationships in a sample of 98 individuals ranging from 61 to 88 years old (mean age: 72.44 ± 6.35). Results showed that visual, but not verbal, divergent thinking was affected by aging. Interestingly, visual divergent thinking performance was predicted by both the cognitive component of crystallized intelligence and cognitive reserve. Only the crystallized component of intelligence was found to mediate the aging effect on visual divergent thinking performance. These results suggest that in later adulthood a potential shift strategy to prior knowledge and semantic components over executive and control components of cognition could underlie a preserved ability to think divergently and, plausibly, creatively. Limitations of the study and implications for successful aging are discussed.
This study explored impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on creativity and productivity and how personality variables moderated these impacts. Two online self-report surveys were conducted. 863 (spring 2020) and 421 (spring 2021) participants were asked how the corona crisis affected their creativity and productivity. In addition, personality variables, namely the Big Five (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism), as well as interpersonal trust, need for cognition, risk-taking, and life satisfaction, were assessed. As a result of the crisis, the group of participants appeared more creative in 2020, while no significant group effect of the pandemic was found for productivity. In 2021, however, the crisis had a negative impact on creativity and productivity. In 2020, predictors for an improved creativity were openness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and life satisfaction; predictors for improved productivity were conscientiousness, negative interpersonal trust, and life satisfaction. In 2021, only life satisfaction predicted improved creativity, while improved productivity was predicted by conscientiousness, negative neuroticism, and life satisfaction. At its beginning, the COVID-19 pandemic had, on average, a positive effect on creativity and a neutral one on productivity. Later, the impact turned negative on both creativity and productivity. Here, lower life satisfaction was particularly relevant.
This chapter is the introduction to an edited volume called Frontiers in Creativity Research: Beyond the Basics (published in 1987). It puts all the contributions from a variety of scholars into the broad context of creativity research, and highlights their contributions.
The study of subjective well-being in adolescence has had recent and dynamic growth, however, there are still few qualitative studies that contribute to getting to know about and discussing the sociocultural diversity of well-being, in particular ones that consider the socioeconomic status of the studied groups. The purpose of this study is to prove that Quality of Life plays a large role in an individual’s Creative Thinking abilities. Two hundred sixty-four female middle-school students (first, second and third grades) in Saudi Arabia, aged 12-15 were chosen randomly for participation in this study. The students were then subjected to Quality of Life Scale (QOL) and The Torrance Tests of Verbal Creative Thinking. The results showed quite a few differences regarding the group’s Quality of Life and Creative Thinking Scores. There was a positive statistically significant correlation of 0.01 between the “family and social life”, “general health”, the total degree of Quality of Life perceived and Creative Thinking. On the other hand, there was no statistically significant correlation between “Time management” and the total and subscales of the Creative Thinking Scale. The results also showed that there is a statistically positive effect at 0.05 level of Quality of Life on Creative Thinking, where the value of the beta coefficient is 0.36 proving that Creative Thinking can be predicted by Quality of Life. The findings suggest that the Quality of Life represented in home and school environments, and health in general does influence creative thinking in adolescents. These points raise important issues in relation to Creative Thinking by implying that fostering creative thinking of adolescents requires a suitable environment.
Although the belief that creativity is related to psychopathology is prevalent, empirical evidence is limited. Research findings relating to mood disorder in particular are mixed, possibly as a result of differing research approaches (e.g., assessing the creativity of individuals with versus without mood disorder opposed to the prevalence of mood disorder in creative versus noncreative individuals). Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to investigate prior research examining the link between mood disorder and creativity from three distinct research approaches. Multilevel random effects models were used to calculate the overall effect size for studies that assessed (a) creativity in a clinical versus nonclinical sample (k = 13), (b) mood disorder in a creative versus noncreative sample (k = 10), and (c) the correlation between dimensional measures of creativity and mood disorder symptoms (k = 15). Potential moderators were examined using meta-regression and subgroup analyses, as significant heterogeneity was detected among the effects in all three analyses. Results reveal a differential strength and pattern of effects across the three analyses, suggesting that the relationship between creativity and mood disorder differs according to the research approach. The theoretical implications of results and potential mechanisms responsible for the relationship between creativity and mood disorder are discussed.
The purpose of the research reported in this article was to examine how team mem-bers’ affective well-being influences creativity in teams. Furthermore, the impact of diversity in gender, age and education on affective well-being and team creativity was investigated. Twenty-nine project teams with 173 team members, involved in projects for 20 weeks as a part of a project management course, participated in the study. In terms of diversity dimensions, age and education were found to have no significant in-fluence either on affective well-being or team creativity. Diversity in gender had a sig-nificant positive impact on contentment. Team member enthusiasm was found to have a strong direct impact on team creativity, while contentment had an indirect effect. The results support the integration of affects into creativity theory. In addition, the result suggests managers to focus more on the feelings of the team members and the interaction in the team in order to facilitate well-being and creativity.
Recent experience sampling and diary studies have shown that spending time on creative goals during a day is associated with higher activated positive affect (PA) on that day. Based on models of creativity as a tool for promoting well-being, the present study examined cross-day relationships between creative activity, affect, and flourishing. A large sample of young adults (n = 658) took part in a 13-day daily diary study. Each day, they reported how much time they spent on creative activities, daily positive and negative affect, and daily flourishing. Lagged multilevel models revealed that people felt higher activated PA and flourishing following days when they reported more creative activity than usual. The other direction – PA predicting next-day creative activity – was not supported, suggesting that the cross-day effect was specific to creative activity predicting well-being. Overall, these findings support the emerging emphasis on everyday creativity as a means of cultivating positive psychological functioning.
Creativity of the individual is dependent on numerous factors, such as knowledge, general intelligence and emotional intelligence. The general purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of general intelligence, emotional intelligence and academic knowledge on the emerging of domain-specific creativity. The study was conducted on 178 intellectually gifted students who attend high school. As a result of the study, correlations were determined between the scholarly creativity domains and sociability, global emotional intelligence (TEQ), science course, verbal and performance intelligence scores; mechanical/scientific creativity and mathematics and science courses, well-being and self-control; performance creativity and sociability; self/everyday creativity and science courses, well-being, self-control, sociability and global TEQ; artistic creativity and sociability, and global TEQ. Moreover, researcher used a hierarchical regression analysis to see whether independent variants predict the creativity domains or not.
Although many psychologists have expressed an interest in the phenomenon of creativity, psychological research on this topic did not rapidly, expand until after J. P. Guilford claimed in his 1950 APA presidential address, that this topic deserved far more attention than it was then receiving. This article reviews the progress psychologists have mane in understanding creativity, since Guilford's call to arms. Research progress has taken place on 4 fronts: the cognitive processes involved in the creative act, the distinctive characteristics of the creative person, the development non manifestation of creativity across the individual life span, and the social environments most strongly associated with creative activity. Although some important questions remain unanswered, psychologists now know more than ever before about how individuals achieve this special and significant form of optimal human functioning.
The present study examined the relationships among creative self-efficacy, well-being as well as the moderating effect of transformational leadership. Participants were 272 employees who have different professions from different companies both public and private sector. The moderated regression analysis revealed positive relationships between creative self-efficacy, transformational leadership and well-being. According to results of this study employees with a high level of creative self-efficacy demonstrate a high level of well-being at work, and transformational leadership plays a moderating role. When employees’ creative self-efficacy is high, those with transformational leader exhibit greater well-being at work.
Previous studies have linked positive emotions with creativity, but it remains unknown why creative activities may enhance positive emotions. We tested how creative tasks influence autonomous self-expression and task absorption, and whether this in turn increases positive emotions. Data from 478 participants were divided into four language samples (English, German, Italian, and Polish) and analyzed in a series of multigroup structural equation models. The indirect effects were replicated in all samples. Creative tasks enhanced positive emotions through an increase in autonomy. However, participants who solved creative tasks also reported lower task absorption, and this has hindered their experience of positive emotions. In total, a small increase of positive emotions was recorded for creative tasks in comparison to non-creative ones. We suggest that creative activities may support autonomous functioning and enhance positive emotions, given that participants will stay sufficiently focused on the task.
Each day presents an opportunity to engage in small acts of creativity. In the present study, we aimed to understand the ecology of everyday creativity: how certain emotions may help or hinder creative pursuits and who behaves more creatively on a daily basis. We recruited a large sample of 658 young adults (17 to 25 years of age; M = 19.8 years) who rated their creativity and their experience of 18 positive and negative emotion states each day for 13 days using an Internet daily diary method. High-activation positive emotions like feeling excited, energetic, and enthusiastic were the most favorable to everyday creativity. Young adults higher in these states reported the most creativity overall, and, on days when people experienced these states, creativity was higher than normal. Medium- and low-activation positiveemotion states like happiness and relaxation were also beneficial to creativity, although not as strongly. Negative-emotion states were unrelated to, or antagonistic with creativity. People higher in openness reported the most creativity, which was more strongly yoked to their emotions: They were more creative on emotionally positive days and less creative on emotionally negative days. These findings suggest that creative days are characterized by greater emotional zest and engagement, that open people are creative people, and that personality modulates the emotion- creativity link. Fostering feelings of engagement, zest, and greater openness to new experiences may be the keys to everyday creativity.
The mediating effects of emotion regulation (reappraisal and suppression) were examined in the relationship between music engagement and well-being. Emotion regulation strategies (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire; Gross & John, 2003) and styles of music engagement (Music Use questionnaire; Chin & Rickard, 2012) were assessed in a large diverse sample of 637 participants. A battery of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being measures (International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule Short Form; Thompson, 2007; Satisfaction With Life Scale; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985; Mental Health Continuum-Short Form; Keyes et al., 2008) was also administered. Results demonstrated that the path of mediation was dependent on the type of emotion regulation strategy utilized, as well as the way in which one engages with music. Findings provide initial evidence that engaging with music for the purposes of cognitive and emotion regulation may enhance wellbeing primarily through the habitual use of cognitive reappraisal. In contrast, various other aspects of music engagement (music listening, engaged production, and social connection) if coupled with a tendency to regulate emotions and thoughts by expressive suppression may yield undesirable wellbeing outcomes. This study highlights the important role emotion regulation plays in the complex relationship between music engagement and well-being.
Recent theories suggest an important role of neuroticism, extraversion, attitudes, and global
positive orientations as predictors of subjective happiness. We examined whether positivity
mediates the hypothesized relations in a community sample of 504 adults between the
ages of 20 and 60 years old (females = 50%). A model with significant paths from neuroticism
to subjective happiness, from extraversion and neuroticism to positivity, and from positivity
to subjective happiness fitted the data (Satorra–Bentler scaled chi-square (38) =
105.91; Comparative Fit Index = .96; Non-Normed Fit Index = .95; Root Mean Square Error
of Approximation = .060; 90% confidence interval = .046, .073). The percentage of subjective
happiness variance accounted for by personality traits was only about 48%, whereas
adding positivity as a mediating factor increased the explained amount of subjective happiness
to 78%. The mediation model was invariant by age and gender. The results show that
the effect of extraversion on happiness was fully mediated by positivity, whereas the effect
of neuroticism was only partially mediated. Implications for happiness studies are
also discussed.
The period between 15 and 25 years is characterised by much personal change and is the peak age of onset of mental health problems. This prompts an interest in everyday strategies that young people might use to support their wellbeing. Music use is the preferred leisure activity among young people yet little is known about how music is linked to wellbeing in this population. This study aimed to develop and test a model of the relationships between young people’s use of music and their wellbeing, drawing on theories from the music psychology and clinical psychology fields. A qualitative analysis of transcripts from focus groups with 11 participants aged 15 to 25 years revealed four ways in which music listening links with wellbeing: relationship building, modifying emotions, modifying cognitions, and emotional immersion. These linking variables were operationalised using questionnaire scores and tested on a new sample of 107 young people. Results of a multiple mediation analysis revealed that music listening was significantly related to all four linking variables, but not directly related to wellbeing as measured by the Mental Health Continuum. Nevertheless, the four linking variables indirectly mediated the effect of music listening on social wellbeing. The findings are consistent with earlier research on the role of music in emotion regulation and social connection although there are clearly other factors involved in determining young peoples’ wellbeing. These findings will help inform music based interventions for young people.
This study examined the relationship of creative capacity with happiness, affect, motivation, and stress from creative pursuits using a sample of 420 students. In addition, it tested whether a relationship existed between overall creative capacity and specific styles or approaches to creative expression. A composite creative capacity score was derived from four creative capacity measures. Creative capacity was not significantly correlated with happiness, but it correlated significantly with positive and negative affect scales and with their absolute sum. Creative capacity correlated highest with intrinsic motivation (IM) among all variables. Creative capacity and IM correlated similarly in direction and magnitude with creativity styles subscales of Belief in Unconscious Processes, Use of Techniques, and Use of Senses, and negative correlations with the Use of People and Final Product Orientation Subscales.
This study examined a total of 140 elderly Chinese from China and the United States to investigate the relationship between attitude toward aging, daily activities, general health, education, and other demographics and rated creativity as measured by collage making and storytelling. The result of this study shows that creativity declines with age. However, education, general health status, daily activities, and the attitude toward aging are also found to be decisive factors of creativity. The implications of the findings are discussed.
The so-called mad-genius controversy cannot be resolved without applying more sophisticated historiometric methods to the issue. It is especially important to recognize that (a) both eminence and psychopathology are quantitative rather than qualitative variables, (b) the two variables must be independently quantified, and (c) the relation between these two variables may assume either linear or curvilinear forms depending on the domain of creative achievement. These 3 points are then illustrated in a study of 204 eminent scientists, thinkers, writers, artists, and composers. Independent quantitative measures of psychopathology (Post, 1994) and eminence (Murray, 2003) were combined in a complex design that tested for multiplicative and nonlinear effects. Positive monotonic functions were found for writers and artists, whereas nonmonotonic single-peaked functions were found for scientists, composers, and thinkers. Moreover, the specific peaks for the latter 3 fields differed from each other, indicating that scientists exhibit the least psychopathology and the thinkers the most, with the composers falling approximately in the middle. Although this historiometric study makes a clear contribution to the debate, the article closes by recommending additional improvements in both measurement and analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)
There is growing evidence of the beneficial effects of cultural activities on health and well-being at work. Employees facing job demands and changes at work might benefit from arts when recovering from mental strain, reflecting on their values and finding new perspectives. The aim
of this study was to examine the association between the frequency and type of cultural leisure activities and well-being and creativity at work among health care professionals (N=336). We analysed the association of creative leisure activities (art-making or creative expression) and receptive
cultural activities (consuming culture) with well-being at work in the following outcomes: creative working mode, personal achievement and work engagement. A higher frequency of cultural leisure activities was associated with well-being at work. Both types of cultural activities were associated
with a sense of personal achievement at work, but only creative leisure activities were associated with the creative working mode. In contrast, only receptive cultural activities were associated with work engagement. Sense of coherence, a marker of individual resources for successfully coping
with stress, and organizational support of a creative working climate were analysed as covariates. Neither of these explained the associations between cultural activities and well-being at work. Creative hobbies and consuming culture on a weekly basis are both related to well-being at work.
In line with earlier studies, the results support cultural activities as a possible empowering factor in occupational well-being among health care professionals.
Creativity is considered a positive personal trait. However, highly creative people have demonstrated elevated risk for certain forms of psychopathology, including mood disorders, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and alcoholism. A model of shared vulnerability explains the relation between creativity and psychopathology. This model, supported by recent findings from neuroscience and molecular genetics, suggests that the biological determinants conferring risk for psychopathology interact with protective cognitive factors to enhance creative ideation. Elements of shared vulnerability include cognitive disinhibition (which allows more stimuli into conscious awareness), an attentional style driven by novelty salience, and neural hyperconnectivity that may increase associations among disparate stimuli. These vulnerabilities interact with superior meta-cognitive protective factors, such as high IQ, increased working memory capacity, and enhanced cognitive flexibility, to enlarge the range and depth of stimuli available in conscious awareness to be manipulated and combined to form novel and original ideas.
Meta-analysis is a popular method of research synthesis using the outcomes of quantitative studies. As creativity research expanded, the number of meta-analyses is also increasing over time. This entry provides a brief overview of meta-analysis as a research methodology and explores its strengths and weaknesses. It then presents a thematic analysis of 48 completed meta-analyses on creativity. This analysis reveals nine clusters where multiple meta-analyses have been conducted: creativity training, intelligence, achievement and performance, motivation, mood, personality, neuroscience, psychopathology and problem-solving. The major findings from the conducted studies are reviewed for each theme.
The mad-genius controversy concerning the relation between creativity and psychopathology is one of the oldest and most contentious in the behavioral sciences. Although the prevailing consensus is that the debate is not specious, it is also evident that its scientific resolution is far more complicated than a mere yes–no decision. To illustrate this complexity, this article examines seven central issues that must be addressed in future research: target persons, mental disorders, creative domains, specific hypotheses, quantitative assessments, data analyses, and theoretical explanations. It thus becomes apparent that the subject should continue to attract empirical and theoretical work well into the future.
Who decides what counts as creative? Although most creativity researchers would acknowledge that both individuals and broader social audiences can offer interpretations about creativity, the way in which researchers tend to conceptualize and study creativity typically focuses on either an individual or a social perspective. Those who focus on individual interpretations may treat the social superficially (if at all), whereas those who focus on social judgments risk minimizing or erasing the role of the individual. Consequently, the question of `Creativity for whom?’ too often divides creativity research. In this article, we briefly review recent work in the field of creativity studies that falls along the lines of personal and social judgments of creativity. We introduce an integrative framework that endeavors to reconcile the divide between the personal and the social. Specifically, we introduce a model of Primary and Secondary Creativity, which illustrates how the one process of creativity can explain both personal and social judgments of creativity.
Many studies have found that creativity tends to promote happiness, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study proposed and tested a serial mediation model to investigate the relationships among creativity, problem solving, stress, and happiness on emerging adults and adolescents (N = 1,146). It is hypothesized that creativity is conducive to happiness indirectly through (a) problem-solving ability, (b) stress, and (c) problem-solving ability and then stress (i.e., serial mediating effect). Undergraduate students and secondary school students self-reported their creativity, social problem-solving ability, stress, happiness, and life satisfaction. The mediating role of problem-solving ability and the serial mediating effect were found statistically significant while controlling the effect of life satisfaction. The mediating role of stress, however, was not supported. The findings not only lend further support to the beneficial effect of self-perceived creativity on happiness, but also extend our understanding on the relationship by revealing the underlying process.
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between psychological symptoms, creativity, and loneliness among gifted middle school students and to analyze gender difference in psychological symptoms. The study used a correlational design, consisting of 91 gifted middle school students. The Brief Symptom Inventory, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale, and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking were used as data-collection instruments. The results showed that there was no significant difference between gifted female and male students in the Brief Symptom Inventory total score and subscales except in the depression subscale. In addition, the Brief Symptom Inventory including subscales was significantly and positively correlated with the UCLA Loneliness Scale. There was no significant correlation between the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking and the other scales. Loneliness was found to be a significant predictor of psychological symptoms. The results of this study suggest that loneliness is a major factor for the psychological well-being of gifted students.
In some models, intelligence has been described as a multidimensional construct comprising both analytical and creative abilities. In addition, intelligence is considered to be dynamic rather than static. A structural equation model was used to examine the predictive role of cognitive (visual short-term memory, verbal short-term memory, selective attention) and socio-emotional (motivation, self-concept, well-being) child characteristics in the development of analytical and creative abilities in 116 Dutch children over the course of 5th and 6th grade. Results showed increasing levels of both analytical and creative abilities over the grades with the 2 types of abilities developing more or less independently. The development of analytical abilities was predicted by visual and verbal short-term memory and self-concept, the development of creative abilities by visual short-term memory and well-being. These results show that analytical and creative abilities have highly independent developmental trajectories, each with specific cognitive and socio-emotional predictors.
Biases against creativity seem to be activated when people are motivated to reduce uncertainty. Drawing on the appraisal model of emotion, this study tested whether and how emotions with varying levels of uncertainty appraisals affect biases against creativity. This experimental study showed that fear, characterized by a high-uncertainty appraisal, promoted implicit, but not explicit, biases against creativity more strongly than low-uncertainty emotions such as anger and happiness. Compared with individuals who experienced anger and happiness, those who experienced fear provided lower creativity ratings because of their implicit biases against creativity. These results highlight the importance of considering emotions to understand the individuals’ biases against creativity and their recognition of creative ideas.
The present study investigated the relationship between creativity and schizophrenia with a 3-level multilevel meta-analytic approach. Analyses with 200 effect sizes obtained from 42 studies found a mean effect size of r=-0.324, 95%CI [-0.42, -0.23]. Further analyses focused on moderators and indicated that the relationship between schizophrenia and creativity is moderated by type of creativity measure, the content of creativity measure, the severity of schizophrenia, and patient status. The negative mean effect size was stronger with semantic-category or verbal-letter fluency tasks than the divergent thinking or associational measures. Performance on verbal measures of creativity was significantly lower than the nonverbal measures. When effect sizes were compared at different levels of severity, a stronger and more negative mean effect size was obtained at chronic schizophrenia than acute and early onset levels. Studies that involved inpatients had a significantly higher (more negative) mean effect size than those involving outpatients. When these findings are considered along with previous meta-analyses on the link between creativity and psychoticism and schizotypy, creativity and psychopathology seem to have an inverted-U relationship. A mild expression of schizophrenia symptoms may support creativity but a full demonstration of the symptoms undermines it.
Explaining Creativity is an accessible introduction to the latest scientific research on creativity. In the last 50 yearss, psychologists, anthropologists, and sociologists have increasingly studied creativity, and we now know more about creativity that at any point in history. Explaining Creativity considers not only arts like painting and writing, but also science, stage performance, and business innovation. Until about a decade ago, creativity researchers tended to focus on highly valued activities like fine art painting and Nobel prize winning science. Sawyer brings this research up to date by including movies, music videos, cartoons, videogames, hypertext fiction, and computer technology. For example, this is the first book on creativity to include studies of performance and improvisation. Sawyer draws on the latest research findings to show the importance of collaboration and context in all of these creative activities. Today's science of creativity is interdisciplinary; in addition to psychological studies of creativity, Explaining Creativity includes research by anthropologists on creativity in non-Western cultures, and research by sociologists about the situations, contexts, and networks of creative activity. Explaining Creativity brings these approaches together within the sociocultural approach to creativity pioneered by Howard Becker, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Howard Gardner. The sociocultural approach moves beyond the individual to consider the social and cultural contexts of creativity, emphasizing the role of collaboration and context in the creative process.
Background:
Health status is widely considered to be closely associated with subjective well-being (SWB), yet this assumption has not been tested rigorously. The aims of this first systematic review and meta-analysis are to examine the association between health status and SWB and to test whether any association is affected by key operational and methodological factors.
Methods:
A systematic search (January 1980-April 2017) using Web of Science, Medline, Embase, PsycInfo and Global health was conducted according to Cochrane and PRISMA guidelines. Meta-analyses using a random-effects model were performed.
Results:
Twenty nine studies were included and the pooled effect size of the association between health status and SWB was medium, statistically significant and positive (pooled r = 0.347, 95% CI = 0.309-0.385; Q = 691.51, I2 = 94.99%, P < 0.001). However, the association was significantly stronger: (i) when SWB was operationalised as life satisfaction (r = 0.365) as opposed to happiness (r = 0.307); (ii) among studies conducted in developing countries (r = 0.423) than it was in developed countries (r = 0.336) and (iii) when multiple items were used to assess health status and SWB (r = 0.353) as opposed to single items (r = 0.326).
Conclusion:
Improving people's health status may be one means by which governments can improve the SWB of their citizens. Life satisfaction might be preferred to happiness as a measure of SWB because it better captures the influence of health status.
The aim of this research was to investigate the relationships between creativity, subclinical bipolar disorder symptomatology, and psychological well-being. The study method was of descriptive, correlational type. Significant tests were performed using multivariate regression analysis. Students of the 4th grade of 6 different Italian colleges (N = 329) completed voluntarily the test of divergent feelings (TDF) included in the creative assessment packet (CAP), the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Paris, Pisa and San Diego—Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), and the psychological well-being scale (PWB). Significant positive correlations between creativity and bipolar disorder vulnerability, especially hyperthymia, were found. Creativity was, instead, poorly associated to psychological well-being subscales, except autonomy and personal growth. In addition, although multivariate regression showed that creativity was not a significant predictor of almost all the psychological well-being subscales, it did show a significant association with personal growth. On the contrary, bipolar disorder vulnerability, in particular hyperthymia, was found to significantly predict all psychological well-being scales, except personal growth. These results improve knowledge on the mutual association of creativity, psychological well-being, and bipolar vulnerability, giving a theoretical framework in which situate these constructs.
Developing and maintaining well-being is imperative for numerous aspects of cognitive and conative functioning, physical, and psychological health. The present research was conducted to find out whether psychological well-being in college students can be predicted by personality traits and creativity. We hypothesized that psychological well-being is likely to be predicted by personality traits. Low level of neuroticism, high levels of extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness and creativity. Multistage sampling was used; universities with fine arts department were randomly selected from a list of universities in the city of Lahore. Later (N = 125) students were recruited through purposive sampling technique from the fine arts departments. NEO Five Factor Inventory (Costa & McCrae, 1992), Creative Behavior Inventory (Hocevar, 1979) and Psychological Well-being Scale (Ryff, 1995) were administered along with demographic information sheet to infer the proposed hypothesis. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that Neuroticism turned out to be a negative predictor whereas Extraversion and Conscientiousness were found to be positive predictors of psychological well-being in college students. None of the control variables (i.e., age, gender, family system, birth order, monthly income, and residential status) and creativity was found to be a significant predictor of psychological well-being. The findings of this study revealed that increasing extraversion and conscientiousness among students can eventually help in enhancing psychological well-being.
Extremes in mood, thought and behavior--including psychosis--have been linked with artistic creativity for as long as man has observed and written about those who write, paint, sculpt or compose. The history of this long and fascinating association, as well as speculations about its reasons for being, have been discussed by several modern authors and investigators, including Koestler (1975), Storr (1976), Andreasen (1978), Becker (1978), Rothenberg (1979), Richards (1981), Jamison (in press) and Prentky (in press). The association between extreme states of emotion and mind and creativity not only is fascinating but also has significant theoretical, clinical, literary and societal-ethical implications. These issues, more thoroughly reviewed elsewhere (Jamison et al. 1980; Richards 1981; Jamison, in press), include the understanding of cognitive, perceptual, mood and behavioral changes common to manic, depressive and creative states; the potential ability to lessen the stigma of mental illness; effects of psychiatric treatment (for example, lithium) on creativity; and concerns raised about genetic research on mood disorders. The current study was designed to ascertain rates of treatment for affective illness in a sample of eminent British writers and artists; to study differences in subgroups (poets, novelists, playwrights, biographers, artists); to examine seasonal patterns of moods and productivity; and to inquire into the perceived role of very intense moods in the writers' and artists' work. One of the major purposes of this investigation was to look at possible similarities and dissimilarities between periods of intense creative activity and hypomania. Hypothesized similarities were based on the overlapping nature of mood, cognitive and behavioral changes associated with both; the episodic nature of both; and possible links between the durational, frequency and seasonal patterns of both experiences.
The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology studies the burgeoning field of positive psychology, which, in recent years, has transcended academia to capture the imagination of the general public. The book provides a roadmap for the psychology needed by the majority of the population-those who don't need treatment, but want to achieve the lives to which they aspire. The articles summarize all of the relevant literature in the field, and each is essentially defining a lifetime of research. The content's breadth and depth provide a cross-disciplinary look at positive psychology from diverse fields and all branches of psychology, including social, clinical, personality, counseling, school, and developmental psychology. Topics include not only happiness-which has been perhaps misrepresented in the popular media as the entirety of the field-but also hope, strengths, positive emotions, life longings, creativity, emotional creativity, courage, and more, plus guidelines for applying what has worked for people across time and cultures.
The aim of this investigation was to measure the impact of the arts broadly construed on the quality of life. A randomly drawn household sample of 315 adult residents of Prince George, British Columbia served as the working data-set. Examining zero-order correlations, among other things, it was found that playing a musical instrument a number of times per year was positively associated with general health (r = 0.37), while singing alone a number of hours per week was negatively associated with general health (r = -0.19). The strongest positive associations with life satisfaction are satisfaction obtained from gourmet cooking and embroidery, needlepoint or cross-stitching, at r = 0.39 and r = 0.32, respectively. The satisfaction obtained from gourmet cooking (r = 0.35) and buying works of art (r = 0.32) were the most positive influences on happiness. The strongest associations with the Index of Subjective Well-Being are the satisfaction obtained from gourmet cooking (r = 0.37) and the satisfaction obtained from knitting or crocheting (r = 0.34). Examining multivariate relations, it was found that eight predictors combined to explain 59% of the variance in life satisfaction scores, with self-esteem satisfaction (beta = 0.35) and friendship satisfaction (beta = 0.27) most influential. Among the arts-related predictors in the eight, singing alone was fairly influential and negative beta = -0.18), while the satisfaction obtained from reading to others (beta = 0.08) and the Index of Arts as Self-Health Enhancers (beta = 0.11) were somewhat less influential. When the arts-related predictors were combined with a set of domain satisfaction predictors, total explanatory power was increased by only 3 percentage points. Seven predictors could explain 58% of the variance in satisfaction with the overall quality of life scores. Of the arts-related predictors, only time spent going to non-art museums was significant (beta = 0.07). Arts-related predictors did not increase explanatory power at all beyond that obtained from domain satisfaction variables alone. Eight predictors explained 42% of the variance in happiness scores, with the most influential predictors including satisfaction with self-esteem (beta = 0.37) and financial security (beta = 0.21), followed by the Index Arts as Self-Developing Activities (beta = 0.18). Arts-related predictors added 3 percentage points of explanatory power to that obtained from domain satisfaction scores. Seven predictors could explain 65% of the variance in scores on the Index of Subjective Well-Being, led by self-esteem satisfaction (beta = 0.35) and financial security satisfaction (beta = 0.30). The Index of Arts as Community Builders had a modest influence (beta = 0.11), but all together, arts-related predictors increased our total explanatory power by a single percentage point. Summarizing these multivariate results, it seems fair to say that, relative to the satisfaction obtained from other domains of life, the arts had a very small impact on the quality of life (measured in four somewhat different ways) of a sample of residents of Prince George who generally cared about the arts. Even in absolute terms, arts-related activities could only explain from 5% to 11% of the variance in four plausible measures of the self-perceived quality of respondents' lives. By comparing the composition of our sample with census data from 2001, it was demonstrated that the sample was not representative of residents of our city. It would, therefore, be wrong to generalize our findings to the whole populatin of Prince George or to any larger population.
Are creative people more likely to be mentally ill? This basic question has been debated for thousands of years, with the 'mad genius' concept advanced by such luminaries as Aristotle. There are many studies that argue the answer is 'yes', and several prominent scholars who argue strongly for a connection. There are also those who argue equally strongly that the core studies and scholarship underlying the mad genius myth are fundamentally flawed. This book re-examines the common view that a high level of individual creativity often correlates with a heightened risk of mental illness. It reverses conventional wisdom that links creativity with mental illness, arguing that the two traits are not associated. With contributions from some of the most exciting voices in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, physics, psychiatry, and management, this is a dynamic and cutting-edge volume that will inspire new ideas and studies on this fascinating topic.
Please allow me to begin this chapter with an autobiographical observation: I have been conducting scientific research on creativity and genius – and especially creative genius – since the early 1970s. During the first quarter century of my career, I was often hard pressed to justify my research program (Simonton, 2002). Although the subject had once attracted the attention of such great psychologists as Francis Galton, James McKeen Cattell, Lewis M. Terman, and Edward L. Thorndike, the topic had become marginalized relative to mainstream research in psychology. Toward the end of the twentieth century, though, an unexpected event altered the status of my endeavors: the positive psychology movement. Martin Seligman, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and others argued that it was time for psychologists to study human strengths and virtues rather than human weaknesses and vices (for instance, Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Besides suggesting new topics for psychological inquiry, the proponents of positive psychology also decided to co-opt already ongoing investigations as representative of the movement. Somewhat to my surprise, creativity, genius, and creative genius were added to the growing inventory of representative subjects for positive psychological studies. As a result, I began to receive invitations to give talks at positive psychology conferences and to write chapters for handbooks and anthologies devoted to the emerging field (for instance, Cassandro & Simonton, 2002). Now I probably should not complain about seeing my life’s work get enhanced attention. And I certainly relished the free trips to conferences and the additional publications in my curriculum vitae.
The persistent mad-genius controversy concerns whether creativity and psychopathology are positively or negatively correlated. Remarkably, the answer can be "both"! The debate has unfortunately overlooked the fact that the creativity-psychopathology correlation can be expressed as two independent propositions: (a) Among all creative individuals, the most creative are at higher risk for mental illness than are the less creative and (b) among all people, creative individuals exhibit better mental health than do noncreative individuals. In both propositions, creativity is defined by the production of one or more creative products that contribute to an established domain of achievement. Yet when the typical cross-sectional distribution of creative productivity is taken into account, these two statements can both be true. This potential compatibility is here christened the mad-genius paradox. This paradox can follow logically from the assumption that the distribution of creative productivity is approximated by an inverse power function called Lotka's law. Even if psychopathology is specified to correlate positively with creative productivity, creators as a whole can still display appreciably less psychopathology than do people in the general population because the creative geniuses who are most at risk represent an extremely tiny proportion of those contributing to the domain. The hypothesized paradox has important scientific ramifications.
© The Author(s) 2014.
This study proposes a new individual creativity model divided into seven main constructs: creative self-efficacy, individual knowledge, IT support, individual absorptive capacity, exploration, exploitation, and individual creativity. We assumed that creative self-efficacy, individual knowledge, and IT support positively affect individual creativity through the mediating effect of individual absorptive capacity, exploration, and exploitation. Additionally, we examined the moderating effects of subjective well-being by dividing the sample into a high subjective well-being group and a low subjective well-being group. After collecting 706 valid questionnaires from IT companies in South Korea, we applied a structural equation modeling technique to analyze the data. Empirical results reveal the following: (1) creative self-efficacy, individual knowledge, and IT support influence individual creativity through individual absorptive capacity, exploration, exploitation; and (2) subjective well-being moderates the relationship between the two constructs of the research model.
This research was designed to inquire into factors in creativity. In Study 1, a battery of eight creativity measures was administered to a random sample of 275 Jamaican middle-class 16-yr.-olds (73 boys and 202 girls) drawn from the Grade 11 population of high schools in Kingston. Study 2 mounted two years later was a replication involving a comparable sample of 320 subjects (101 boys and 219 girls). Factor analysis of the creativity scores collected in Study 1 indicated the presence of two factors of creativity, a verbal factor and a nonverbal factor. Similar confirming findings also emerged in Study 2.
IntroductionIndividual studiesThe summary effectHeterogeneity of effect sizesSummary points
Previous research has shown that treating dependent effect sizes as independent inflates the variance of the mean effect size and introduces bias by giving studies with more effect sizes more weight in the meta-analysis. This article summarizes the different approaches to handling dependence that have been advocated by methodologists, some of which are more feasible to implement with education research studies than others. A case study using effect sizes from a recent meta-analysis of reading interventions is presented to compare the results obtained from different approaches to dealing with dependence. Overall, mean effect sizes and variance estimates were found to be similar, but estimates of indexes of heterogeneity varied. Meta-analysts are advised to explore the effect of the method of handling dependence on the heterogeneity estimates before conducting moderator analyses and to choose the approach to dependence that is best suited to their research question and their data set.
This comparative study of Icelanders, born during the period 1881–1910, indicates that close relatives of psychotic individuals have a significantly increased probability of being considered persons of eminence. Their rate of listing in Who Is Who is doubled, both in regard to general listings and those based on artistic or scholastic endeavors. Review of relevant literature supports the view that the dominant principal gene proposed for schizophrenia may in a heterozygous state lead to cerebral stimulation, with improved performance in areas of giftedness and creativity.