Creativity Research Notes

- Two sides of the brain, left and right. Left side more logical thinking right side more
creative.
- There are six aspects of a social environment that can kill creativity:
1. Expected Evaluation: Knowing that a “judge” of some kind will be assessing your
work once completed.
2. Surveillance: Being watched while you’re working
3. Contracting for reward: Doing something with a promise of payment or reward
for your creation
4. Being Constrained In How To Do A Task: Being told you need to create in a
certain way
5. Competition With Peers
6. Focusing on Extrinsic Motivators (E.g. Power, Fame, Money)
- Extrinsic Motivators - Things outside ourselves and the activity that motivate us, such
as competition, evaluation, and rewards - can dampen kids’ creativity.
- Intrinsic Motivators – Doing things for the sake of enjoying them and not for money
competition etc. Intrinsic Motivation being wanting to challenge yourself,
enjoyment, interest, and personal satisfaction.
- Intrinsic motivation drives creativity; people are most creative when they’re
motivated primarily by the interest, enjoyment, satisfaction, and personal challenge
of the work itself—and not by extrinsic motivators
- Being creative can increase positive emotions, reduce depressive symptoms and
anxiety, and improve the function of our immune systems. The Journal of Positive
Psychology supports these findings, stating that “spending time on creative goals
during the day is associated with higher activated positive affect.” Positive affect
refers to positive moods people experience including joy, happiness, and optimism.
- Practicing creativity is a wellness exercise, similar to having a healthy diet and steady
workout routine. Even if we do not think of ourselves as artists or creative
innovators, we all have a varying amount of energy, intelligence, and discipline to
expand on our ability to express ourselves and be creative.
- There are some ways to boost creativity:
1. Draw or Paint – There is a lot of healing power in making art. Activities like
drawing and painting can relieve stress and symptoms of depression, as well as
improve memory and resilience in older adults. Drawing and painting can help
seniors with dementia reconnect with the world.
2. Sing or Play Music – Music is a bonding method. When we harmonize or sync
with others musically, we develop more positive feelings towards them. Singing
can raise levels of oxytocin in both amateur and professional singers. Even
listening to music releases oxytocin. Music directly impacts our ability to trust
and socially connect to others. This is a great way to enhance creativity and
express ourselves.
3. Dance or Move Your Body – Dancing relieves anxiety and improves our quality of
life, while getting us moving. Studies have shown that dancing and moving to
4. music can provide mental health benefits to breast cancer patients and lower risk
of dementia in seniors.
5. Write or Tell Stories – Writing and storytelling have long-lasting psychological
and developmental benefits. Exploring imagination and creativity through
 storytelling, journaling, and writing allows us to express ourselves, problem
solve, communicate with others, develop self-confidence, and discover things
that make us feel happy and fulfilled.
6. Spend Time in Nature – Nature affects creativity by way of immersion into
natural settings. Disconnecting from technological devices and going out into
nature has shown to increase performance in creativity and problem-solving by
50 percent. Nature provides emotionally positive stimuli for enhanced creativity.
The next time you are stumped by problems that need solving, step away from
the computer to take a walk in the garden or sit in the park.
- According to the left-brain, right-brain dominance theory, the right side of the brain
is best at expressive and creative tasks. Some of the abilities popularly associated
with the right side of the brain include:
1. Recognizing Faces
2. Expressing Emotions
3. Creating Music
4. Reading Emotions
5. Appreciating Colour
6. Using Imagination
7. Being Intuitive
8. Being Creative