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Creativity is associated with higher well-being and more positive COVID-19 experience
Abstract
We investigated whether creativity is associated with higher well-being and more positive COVID-19 experience. Participants (N = 252) filled out a creativity measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, they rated their satisfaction with life, positive affect and stress experienced in the last month, and indicated the extent to which they perceived COVID-19 as a positive experience. More creative individuals were more satisfied with their lives after controlling for perceived stress and personality. Results of a serial mediation showed that creativity fostered more positive emotions, which lowered perceived stress, which then led to a more positive COVID-19 experience. Findings add to the literature showing the beneficial effects of creativity on well-being, and point to the utility of introducing interventions that would foster creative thinking to improve quality of life and resilience to life adversities.
... In the context of resilience, creativity is considered a valuable tool, as it fosters cognitive flexibility and the ability to find new ways to face challenges [32]. Studies have shown that creativity fosters positive emotions and reduces perceived stress [33]. In addition, it is estimated that there is a positive relationship between creativity and resilience [34]. ...
... Based on this evidence, we can affirm that hypothesis 4 of the study, which indicates that social skills and creativity act as predictors of resilience, is fulfilled. Said results attend to the fact that adolescents with high levels of social skills tend to present fewer social difficulties and creativity helps to cope with challenges and reduce stress, which is consistent with previous research [32,33]. The predictive role of these skills is better understood when considering that social skills enable adolescents to navigate challenging social contexts more effectively, while creativity provides them with tools to approach problems in innovative and adaptive ways. ...
Resilience plays a crucial role in overcoming the adversities and challenges faced by young people during adolescence. Current research focuses on understanding the factors that contribute to the development of resilience at this stage, with the goal of promoting the well-being and mental health of young people. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, we examined the relationship between social skills, creativity and resilience in a sample of 743 students aged 14 to 19 years from different educational centers in the province of Almería (Spain). We used the Social Skills Questionnaire (CHASO), the Turtle Creativity Questionnaire and the reduced resilience scale CDRISC-10 to collect data. Data analysis was performed using correlation analysis, Student’s t-test for differences according to sex, analysis of variance to test for differences according to resilience groups, multiple regression analysis for predictors of resilience and simple mediation analysis. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between social skills, creativity, and resilience. The differences found suggest that being male and having a higher level of resilience increases the likelihood of having higher social skills and resilience. Social skills and creativity predicted resilience and social skills mediated the relationship between creativity and social skills. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening social skills and promoting creativity to enhance resilience in adolescents, which may have practical implications for the design of intervention and support programs.
... This confidence in one's own creative abilities has been shown to have a significant influence on life satisfaction. Studies have found that people with higher levels of creative self-efficacy tend to experience greater life satisfaction [25,26]. ...
... Regarding social skills, the hypothesis is true, since it is related to both self-esteem and life satisfaction. The previous literature does indicate association between creativity, self-esteem, and life satisfaction [14,17,25,26]. This difference may be due to the fact that creativity is a polysemous construct and, in this research, we inquired about creative self-efficacy and not about creativity in general. ...
Creative self-efficacy and social skills are two elements that can significantly enhance personal and professional development. The main objective of this research is to analyze the relations established between creative self-efficacy and social skills with other variables such as self-esteem, academic performance, and life satisfaction. The participants included in the methodology of this study are a total of 238 Portuguese university students. The instruments used were the Creative Self-Efficacy Scale, the Social Skills Questionnaire (CHASO), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and a series of ad hoc questions to assess academic performance. The results obtained indicate the existence of significant relations between creative self-efficacy and social skills, with the latter also being positively associated with self-esteem and life satisfaction. Analyses indicate that there are significant differences according to gender, academic performance, and the level of self-esteem of the participants. In addition, variables such as self-esteem, academic performance, and fluency act as predictors of life satisfaction. The importance of further exploring and understanding the complex relationship between creative self-efficacy, social skills, and individual well-being in the university context is discussed.
... Many individuals innovated ways to continue their routine activities, while others found the constraints too overwhelming to be creative. Research by Fiori et al. (2022) found that highly creative individuals were more satisfied with their lives post-pandemic, as they experienced increased positive emotions and reduced perceived stress. It resulted in a more positive overall experience of the pandemic. ...
Assertiveness is a pivotal strength of human beings that allows them to express their thoughts, opinions, and emotions by being forthright about their wants and needs while simultaneously respecting and considering the thoughts, wishes, and feelings of others. It leads to healthy behaviours, effective communication, and a growth mindset. As such, it encourages gender equity and speaking up for ourselves and others in an honest and respectful way. It fosters human rights, stimulates human potential, and paves the way for establishing a healthy and positive environment like, for example, the workplace, school, family, and community. Furthermore, assertive individuals manage themselves, people, and situations positively, confidently, and empathically. Therefore, assertiveness is a key skill that can help people influence others to gain acceptance, agreement, or behaviour change. It is a pillar for healthy and positive interactions, good mental health, human connection, individual and social thriving, empowerment, and a nation's prosperity and well-being. The concept of assertiveness encompasses two essential elements: on the one hand, the ability to express one's thoughts, emotions, and opinions with honesty and respect, clearly and directly and, on the other, respect and consideration for others. An assertive person has a natural balance that allows him/her to socialize in any context smoothly and harmoniously, without leaning to extremes of passivity or aggressiveness, always thinking, acting, and communicating appropriately and adaptively. Assertiveness is a faculty that is especially valued in the business world since having assertive behaviour is essential for the success of relationships, activities, and decisions. In general, assertive people make great managers negotiate successful “win-win” solutions, are better doers and problem solvers, are less anxious and stressed, and have greater job satisfaction. Assertiveness is one of the most modern business approaches. The concept is associated with competitiveness, direction, and management. An assertive manager, for example, establishes clear limits, gets things done by treating people with fairness and respect, treats others the same way in return, correctly directs each of the phases of the processes, and avoids stress and lack of motivation, among his/her collaborators. This means they are often well-liked and seen as leaders people want to work with. Although the concept was developed as a characteristic of personality, little by little, it has been transferred to business and organizational management because, ultimately, it speaks of behaviour in which each person or company responds to particular circumstances. Assertiveness can be studied from different approaches, not only from the Business approach but also from the Philosophical, Health, Communication, Law, Engineering, Pedagogy, Public Policies, Gastronomy, Tourism, and Hospitality approaches, among others. To encourage multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research, we welcome research scholars in multidisciplinary studies, professionals from diverse fields, consultants, CEOs, industry leaders, and managers to contribute original work in the forms of empirical studies, theoretical articles, case studies, etc. and bring universal ideas and fresh perspectives to make this research book achievable for various research fields.
... In addition to positive mood states, it appears that psychological well-being is also related to creativity [44]. In turn, individuals with higher levels of creativity reported greater satisfaction with life Fiori, et al. [45], i.e., creativity has a positive relationship with subjective well-being [46]. ...
This study investigates the impact of theta-frequency binaural beats (BB) on creativity, mood, and psychological well-being in university students, addressing the growing interest and controversy surrounding this auditory stimulation technique. A quantitative, correlational, quasi-experimental design was employed, involving 26 university students aged 18–54 (96.2% female, 3.8% male). Participants listened to theta BB (6-Hz beat frequency on a 250 Hz carrier) for 20 minutes daily using the Binaural Beats App. Instruments included a sociodemographic questionnaire, the reduced Creative Personality Scale (EPC), the short Profile of Mood States Questionnaire (POMS), and the Psychological Well-Being Manifestation Scale (EMMBEP). Results revealed significant improvements in creativity, psychological well-being, and reduced total mood disturbance after exposure to theta BB. Significant differences in total mood disturbance across assessment moments highlighted the intervention's time-sensitive benefits. The study highlights the potential of theta-frequency BB to enhance psychological well-being, mood, and creativity among university students. These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting the utility of BB as a non-invasive tool for improving mental and emotional states. Theta BB may serve as an accessible and cost-effective method for promoting mental health and fostering creativity in educational and therapeutic settings.
... , positive coping(Tang et al., 2021;Fiori, Fischer, & Barabasch, 2022), and mental health (AbdulKadir & Rusyda, 2022). Our observation of factor speci city suggests that certain domains of creativity might be linked more with bene ts to positive psychological functioning than others. ...
Background: In the context of Japan, beliefs about individual creativity are low. Studies rarely account for multiple factors of creativity or provide brief-session applications. Methods: The present study (1) examines associations between originality and fluency as distinct sources of variation in self-beliefs of satisfaction with life (SWLS) and optimism (LOT-R) in an observational study design of national survey panel participants recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic ( n =880; 401 females; M age =38.12, SD =4.67), and (2) performs a quasi-experimental comparison of scores taken with emerging adults participating in a three-hour, intercultural creativity-based workshop featuring 15 U.S. and 25 undergraduate students from Japan. Results: Results indicated correlational support for the two subscales of the Reisman Diagnostic Creativity Assessment (RDCA): originality ( life satisfaction : r =.24; optimism : r= .29, p s <.001) and fluency (SWLS: r =.29; LOT-R: r= .31, p s <.001). Mediation analysis revealed unique support for the RDCA factor of fluency ( β =0.15, p =.003) over originality ( β =-0.03, p= .481) as a parallel mediator for the association between optimism and life satisfaction . Case-control comparison revealed that mean factor scores of survey participants for originality were comparable to creative self-assessments after the intercultural workshop ( d= .110, p=. 569), but fluency scores were numerically higher and statistically significant ( d=- .444, p=. 026), in favor of the workshop participants. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the specific creative tendency to generate many ideas is relevant to well-being outcomes and might be shaped by educational settings for adults in Japan, offering implications for instructional designers targeting creative self-efficacy.
... This relationship became even more prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, Fiori et al. (2022) demonstrated that creativity was linked to well-being, and morecreative individuals exhibited greater life satisfaction, even after controlling for perceived stress. Mediation analyses also indicated that creativity nurtured positive affects and led to enhanced positive COVID-19 experiences. ...
This study aimed to validate the Chinese version of the self-beliefs in creativity and well-being (SBCWs) and probe its associations with life satisfaction, meaning in life, and psychological richness. Additionally, it explored the mediating role of creative self-efficacy between SBCWs and well-being. Evidence of the reliability and validity of the Chinese SBCWs were provided, with their correlation to well-being measures offering further validity support. Mediation analyses showed that creative self-efficacy mediated the links between SBCW and life satisfaction, psychological richness, and presence of meaning, but not between SBCW and the search for meaning. Differential SBCW predictions for short- and long-term well-being were confirmed, suggesting SBCW’s split of short-term and long-term focus. The study highlights creativity and creative self-efficacy’s importance in well-being.
... Additionally, the savoring ritual in each session may have primed participants to exhibit attentiveness and gratitude toward each other (Bryant & Veroff, 2017), thus, enhancing their overall positive interactions. While creativity has been linked to increased resilience (Fiori et al., 2022), Tang et al. (2021) found that its positive impact on well-being is diminished among those with stronger individualistic views. Therefore, as evident in this study, arts-based interventions may better address healthcare burnout when they foster a sense of community, belonging, and purpose. ...
Previous research has found that self‐compassion enhances well‐being outcomes such as happiness and meaning in life. However, little is known about the link between self‐compassion and psychological richness, a recently introduced concept of well‐being. Thus, an exploration of the relationship between self‐compassion and psychological richness is necessary to gain a comprehensive understanding of the association between self‐compassion and well‐being. To address this issue, this study investigated the temporal directionality of their relationship within a cohort of Chinese college students, utilizing a two‐wave longitudinal approach. Using a cross‐lagged model, the results revealed that the self‐compassion could predict psychological richness 3 months later, and conversely, psychological richness could also predict subsequent self‐compassion. This research provides new insights into the bidirectional relationship between self‐compassion and psychological richness, broadening our understanding of the association between self‐compassion and well‐being. Future interventions should focus on the important effect of self‐compassion interventions in the development of psychological richness. In addition, future research could consider interventions on increasing psychological richness to improve the level of self‐compassion among college students.
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.
The impact of happiness on creativity is well-established. However, little is known about the effect of creativity on well-being. Two studies were thus conducted to examine the impact of creativity on subjective well-being. In the first study, 256 undergraduate students (Study 1a) and 291 working adults (Study 1b) self-reported their creativity, stress, and subjective well-being. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed a positive relationship between creativity and subjective well-being after controlling the effect of self-perceived stress and demographics in both samples. Study 2 then employed an experimental design to examine the causal relationship between creativity and subjective well-being. Half of the 68 undergraduates underwent a creativity priming task followed by a divergent thinking test as well as self-reported stress and subjective well-being. The priming task was found to boost creative performance in the pilot study (Study 2a) and the actual study (Study 2b). Moreover, after controlling the effect of self-perceived stress, ANCOVA analysis showed that participants receiving the priming reported higher subjective well-being scores than their counterparts in the control group. The overall findings not only shed light on the facilitative effect of creativity on subjective well-being but also highlight the necessity of considering the reciprocal relationship of the two constructs in future research.
Major life events (MLEs) are studied in many different areas in psychology such as personality development, clinical psychology, or posttraumatic growth. In all of these areas, a common finding is that MLEs differ in their effects on psychological outcomes. However, a framework that allows a systematic examination of these differences is still absent. This article presents a systematic literature review and 4 empirical studies (Ns between 226 and 449, total N = 1,477) in which we developed and evaluated a dimensional taxonomy of 9 perceived characteristics of MLEs: valence, impact, predictability, challenge, emotional significance, change in worldviews, social status changes, external control, and extraordinariness. These event characteristics can be measured reliably with the Event Characteristics Questionnaire (ECQ). Perceived event characteristics predicted individual differences in changes in subjective well-being in both retrospective and longitudinal data after MLEs over and above established predictors of subjective well-being such as personality and demographic characteristics. A comparison between the ECQ and established taxonomies of situation characteristics such as the DIAMONDS (Rauthmann et al., 2014) showed high conceptual and empirical convergence between some ECQ subscales (e.g., valence, challenge) with characteristics of situations, whereas other ECQ subscales (e.g., social status changes, external control) were conceptually and empirically distinct from situation characteristics. In sum, including measures of perceived event characteristics in studies on MLEs may enhance our understanding of why MLEs differ in the direction, strength, and duration of their effects on psychological outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
This study reports the most comprehensive assessment to date of the relations that the domains and facets of Big Five and HEXACO personality have with self-reported subjective well-being (SWB: life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) and psychological well-being (PWB: positive relations, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, self-acceptance, and personal growth). It presents a meta-analysis (n = 334,567, k = 462) of the correlations of Big Five and HEXACO personality domains with the dimensions of SWB and PWB. It provides the first meta-analysis of personality and well-being to examine (a) HEXACO personality, (b) PWB dimensions, and (c) a broad range of established Big Five measures. It also provides the first robust synthesis of facet-level correlations and incremental prediction by facets over domains in relation to SWB and PWB using 4 large data sets comprising data from prominent, long-form hierarchical personality frameworks: NEO PI-R (n = 1,673), IPIP-NEO (n = 903), HEXACO PI-R (n = 465), and Big Five Aspect Scales (n = 706). Meta-analytic results highlighted the importance of Big Five neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness. The pattern of correlations between Big Five personality and SWB was similar across personality measures (e.g., BFI, NEO, IPIP, BFAS, Adjectives). In the HEXACO model, extraversion was the strongest well-being correlate. Facet-level analyses provided a richer description of the relationship between personality and well-being, and clarified differences between the two trait frameworks. Prediction by facets was typically around 20% better than domains, and this incremental prediction was larger for some well-being dimensions than others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Creative potential realized in creative achievement changes the world and defines progress. Accordingly, the investigation of factors that contribute to the process of achieving creative accomplishments seems essential. The relationship between creativity and personality was a thoroughly studied subject almost from the very beginning of creativity research, yet even today it is still unclear whether emotion-related personality traits – specifically, trait emotional intelligence and emotional creativity – are the driving factors that help individuals with creative potential to gain creative achievements. In this study, 342 participants (Mage = 21.87, SD = 5.84) took the Alternative Uses and Instances tasks (creative potential); the Inventory of Creative Activities and Achievements (ICAA); the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue); and the Emotional Creativity Inventory (ECI). Results show that trait emotional intelligence (specifically, the sociability factor) and emotional creativity (namely, the novelty aspect) moderate the relationship between creative potential and creative achievements, while this relationship is mediated by creative activities. The study provides insight into which emotional personality traits can facilitate the path from creative potential to real-life creative achievements.
The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) in a French-speaking sample (1,554 participants, 59.3% of women). Our results showed that the French version of the TIPI has acceptable psychometric properties with satisfactory levels of temporal stability (after three and six weeks), satisfactory convergent and divergent construct validity in relationship with the Big Five Inventory (BFI), emotional intelligence, and self-esteem. As in the other translations of the TIPI, the limitation of our adaptation is the low level of internal consistency, especially concerning agreeableness, as in the Spanish version. The French TIPI is a promising scale that should be used preferably for exploratory purposes.
The present paper examined the contribution of optimism and humor styles to well-being during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Furthermore, we examined whether these direct associations were mediated by two common COVID-19 challenges––work-family interface (WFI) and COVID-19 fears. Israeli employees (N = 356) completed an online survey during lockdown restrictions (69% women, 57.20% held academic degrees, Mage = 30.70, age-range = 20–61). Both optimism and adaptive humor revealed a positive and direct effect on well-being. Furthermore, mediation analyses indicated that both fear of COVID-19 and WFI mediated the direct associations between optimism and well-being, as well as the direct associations between maladaptive humor and well-being, whereas WFI mediated the association between adaptive humor and well-being. These findings stress the need to adapt interventions derived from positive psychology to enhance well-being during these challenging times of COVID-19.
Psychological reactions to pandemics and their constraints depend heavily on personality. Although perfectionism is consistently associated to depression, anxiety and stress, its role in the pandemics’ psychological impact has not been yet empirically studied. Our aim was to analyze the role of perfectionism in psychological distress during the pandemic of COVID-19, testing whether it is mediated by fear of COVID-19 and repetitive negative thinking/RNT. Participants (N=413 adults; 269.2% women) were recruited from September until December 2020, via social networks. They completed self-report validated questionnaires to evaluate perfectionism dimensions (self-critical, rigid and narcissistic perfectionism), fear of COVID-19, RNT and psychological distress (sum of anxiety, depression and stress symptoms). As women had significantly higher levels of self-critical perfectionism, RNT, fear of COVID-19 and psychological distress, gender was controlled in mediation analysis. The three perfectionism dimensions correlated with RNT, fear of COVID-19 and psychological distress. The effect of self-critical perfectionism on psychological distress was partially mediated by fear of COVID-19 and RNT whereas the effect of rigid and narcissistic perfectionism was fully mediated. Perfectionism influences emotional and cognitive responses to the COVID-19 and therefore should be considered both in the prevention and psychological consequences of the pandemic.
The present study sought to examine the relationship between implicit and explicit creativity in the prediction of creative performance. Based on previous research on the integrative model of personality, it was hypothesized that self-reported creativity (i.e., explicit creativity) and creativity measured via conditional reasoning (i.e., implicit creativity) would interact in the prediction of creativity scores on a drawing task (i.e., creative performance). Overall, the interaction of implicit and explicit creativity was significant such that individuals with a combination of high self-reported (i.e., explicit) creativity and high implicit creativity demonstrated the most creative performance. In contrast, individuals with a pattern of low explicit creativity and low implicit creativity demonstrated the least creative performance. Implications and directions for further research are discussed.
This article reports the development and validation of a scale to measure global life satisfaction, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Among the various components of subjective well-being, the SWLS is narrowly focused to assess global life satisfaction and does not tap related constructs such as positive affect or loneliness. The SWLS is shown to have favorable psychometric properties, including high internal consistency and high temporal reliability. Scores on the SWLS correlate moderately to highly with other measures of subjective well-being, and correlate predictably with specific personality characteristics. It is noted that the SWLS is suited for use with different age groups, and other potential uses of the scale are discussed.
This study focused on the conditions under which job dissatisfaction will lead to creativity as an expression of voice. We theorized that useful feedback from coworkers, coworker helping and support, and perceived organizational support for creativity would each interact with job dissatisfaction and continuance commitment (commitment motivated by necessity) to result in creativity. In a sample of 149 employees, as hypothesized, employees with high job dissatisfaction exhibited the highest creativity when continuance commitment was high and when (1) useful feedback from coworkers, or (2) coworker helping and support, or (3) perceived organizational support for creativity was high.