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Research over the last decade has shown that feeling creative is empowered by the intensity of emotion, not necessarily whether the emotion is a negative one or

by tannerc 12y ago

Research over the last decade has shown that feeling creative is empowered by the intensity of emotion, not necessarily whether the emotion is a negative one or positive one. What matters most is being in an "active mood." The research indicates that our content-like moods are not very motivating for states of original thought. That's not to say you can't have a great idea by being perfectly content, only that you're more inclined to experience creative-like thinking in a state of one polar end of the mood spectrum or the other. Negative moods can be motivating and help focus on what's in front of us rather than pre-existing assumptions. Positive moods can leave us feeling open to new possibilities, leading to an increase in divergent thinking and making unusual associations as a result. For those interested, I've written about this before with more detail here: http://creativesomething.net/post/76220500752/whats-the-best-mood-for-creativity http://creativesomething.net/post/76220500752/whats-the-best...

threatofrain 12y ago
I already posted this, but it was relevant to you so I repeat: Manic depressive people have also been observed before to perform more variably between-and-within subject (on a puzzle-game with more than one solution) during their depressed state, while performing more stereotypically during their manic states. Another variation of the study looked at how manic depressive people who report low sensitivity or intensity to their own feelings would not experience the same patterns in behavioral variability during their manic and depressive swings (this is just an enriching complication, not something that directly responds to you). Frustration in rats and humans alike produce variable behavior, whereas satisfaction produces stereotypical behavior. Why is this interesting? Because stereotypy is the enemy of learning and innovation, while being the friend to optimizers, while variability is a friend to learning and innovation, but an enemy to optimization. If you are often doing the same things, you experience an opportunity cost in which you could've been NOT doing the same thing. That's not to say that if you do the same thing, then you are optimal, or that if you change up your behavior, then you are creative. Creativity is a mere possibility to change and newness.
- tannerc 12y ago
  Thanks for repeating for me, this is fascinating. Do you have a link to the source information for this?
  - threatofrain 12y ago
    Hmm... I could give you a link to a Google Drive folder full of articles on factors to behavioral variability and stereotypy. But you'd have to do the digging yourself, or find an authoritative review article that summarizes current state of research (much better), as I'm a bit lazy. I understand the internet has this culture of expecting someone who makes a claim to have the burden of proof to present citations, but honestly, it's too much work, and not even scientists do this. Instead, they have unpaid laborers do it for them for free.

by tannerc 12y ago

threatofrain 12y ago

I already posted this, but it was relevant to you so I repeat: Manic depressive people have also been observed before to perform more variably between-and-within subject (on a puzzle-game with more than one solution) during their depressed state, while performing more stereotypically during their manic states. Another variation of the study looked at how manic depressive people who report low sensitivity or intensity to their own feelings would not experience the same patterns in behavioral variability during their manic and depressive swings (this is just an enriching complication, not something that directly responds to you). Frustration in rats and humans alike produce variable behavior, whereas satisfaction produces stereotypical behavior. Why is this interesting? Because stereotypy is the enemy of learning and innovation, while being the friend to optimizers, while variability is a friend to learning and innovation, but an enemy to optimization. If you are often doing the same things, you experience an opportunity cost in which you could've been NOT doing the same thing. That's not to say that if you do the same thing, then you are optimal, or that if you change up your behavior, then you are creative. Creativity is a mere possibility to change and newness.

tannerc 12y ago
Thanks for repeating for me, this is fascinating. Do you have a link to the source information for this?
- threatofrain 12y ago
  Hmm... I could give you a link to a Google Drive folder full of articles on factors to behavioral variability and stereotypy. But you'd have to do the digging yourself, or find an authoritative review article that summarizes current state of research (much better), as I'm a bit lazy. I understand the internet has this culture of expecting someone who makes a claim to have the burden of proof to present citations, but honestly, it's too much work, and not even scientists do this. Instead, they have unpaid laborers do it for them for free.