The Effect Of Emotions On Creativity
Understanding the complexity of life can be a rewarding journey toward psychological well-being. It is natural for our creativity to embrace pain and negative emotions, and to view them as an integral part of our existence.
In recent decades, Western society has been averse to pain in almost all its manifestations. A culture accustomed to immediate consumption and satisfaction does not allow for feelings such as sadness, anger, discouragement, or frustration.
These feelings are seen as a kind of state of inactivity that pulls us out of the realm of productivity and consumption. When we stop denying our pain and begin to see it as part of ourselves, our creativity begins to start and express itself.
What emotions increase creativity?
Throughout our history, several artists and scientists have found their creativity to be at its peak during the most miserable times of life.
Neuroscience has illuminated neural connections that open doors to creativity. According to a study by Dr. Roger Beaety, people who show higher creativity have connections between areas of the brain that most people are not strongly connected to each other.
Research also reveals the impact of emotional commitment on creativity; people who sink deeper into their emotions are often more open to inspiration. This shows more reliably in the direction of creativity than mental ability.
Other studies have shown that individuals in unusual environments who express opposite feelings are often more creative. In this case, the brain has to make associations that they would never make in normal situations.
As for emotions, positive emotional states have also been shown to increase creativity and give more ideas, even if the ideas are not always so original. Negative emotions such as grief, anger, melancholy, and disappointment help the individual produce more ideas that are considered interesting for creative work. Thus, a person with a negative emotional state can correct their creative process, and then return to a neutral or positive emotional state.
Mental education and creativity
Sir Ken Robinson is a teacher, author and creativity expert. She was knighted by the Queen of England for incorporating art courses into the school curriculum. In his TED speech, which garnered the most views, Robinson notes that traditional teaching methods in schools kill emotions and creativity.
His research showed that 90% of preschoolers bring out high levels of creative thinking. After years spent in school, only 20% of 12-year-olds were able to maintain these different levels of thinking.
However, creativity has begun to become more and more in demand in the 21st century. Many studies have shown that an individual’s emotional characteristics have a particular effect on their artistic and creative abilities.
There are many psychological processes that affect the expression of creative abilities, such as the tendency to maintain a positive mood. These processes are associated with the release of dopamine, which facilitates the flexible development of attention as well as the ability to develop multiple cognitive perspectives.
Negative emotions can also affect creativity, but from a completely different direction. In the state of pain and grief, creative impulses are often associated with a more precise task or creative production, such as music and writing.
While emotions are clearly related to creativity, it strongly depends on the type of task. Some scholars believe that positive moods affect perceptions and the final stage of the creative process, while negative moods affect preparation, incubation, and imagination.
