A team at the University of Georgia Mary Frances Early College of Education analysed daily reports from over 100 college students to examine how moods, personality and other factors relate to everyday creativity. Lead author Sakhavat Mammadov, an associate professor in educational psychology, explains that positive emotions and creativity seem to reinforce each other: creativity can lift mood, and positive moods can increase creative activity. The study found that positivity predicted not only creativity on the same day but also on the following day.
Students kept diaries for weeks and recorded feelings and whether they engaged in creative behaviours such as drawing, writing and playing music. Those who reported greater contentment also showed more willingness to try creative tasks, from writing a poem to cooking a new recipe. Mammadov defines everyday creativity as 'any activity that is new and useful without recognition needed from society' and notes that learning new skills and practising count as creative work even without expertise.
The researchers identified several features that promoted creativity across days. Feeling autonomous and capable was linked to higher creative engagement. Frustration with external stressors sometimes increased creative actions when people felt limited by work or circumstances and sought activities they could control, such as reading. The team also found that sadness or anger did not necessarily reduce creative output and that overall intelligence did not determine creative engagement. They suggest that regulating emotions and supporting well-being may matter more for everyday creativity than some stable traits.
The study appears in the Journal of Creative Behavior. Additional researchers are from the University of Georgia and the University of Alabama. Source: University of Georgia.
Difficult words
- analyse — study information to find patterns or meaninganalysed
- creativity — ability to produce new useful ideas or things
- reinforce — make an effect stronger or more likely to continue
- autonomous — able to act or decide independently
- contentment — feeling of satisfaction and peaceful happiness
- engagement — involvement or participation in an activity
- regulate — control or manage emotions or behaviorregulating
- stressor — something outside a person causing pressure or worrystressors
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Discussion questions
- How could people use everyday creative activities to improve their mood? Give examples from the article or your own life.
- What could schools or workplaces do to support autonomy and well-being to boost everyday creativity?
- The study says intelligence did not determine creative engagement. Do you agree? Explain with reasons or examples.
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