Is an anxious person creative? Study shows an interesting trade-off
Anxiety sparks many ideas but often lacks originality. The study reveals how emotions affect creativity.
Anxiety opens up a barrage of ‘what ifs,’ flooding with innumerable possibilities for scenarios. Basically, a lot of overthinking goes into it, visualising how it could a situation would play out- maybe the presentation or solo trip for the first time. So with so many thoughts, is an anxious person also creative? A study published in The Journal of Creative Behavior revealed anxiety’s relation with creativity. Creativity is essentially an original, innovative idea and an anxious person thinks a lot, producing a lot of ideas. But the study revealed an interesting trade-off when it comes to anxiety and creativity.
Anxiety's influence on creative thinking
The study experimented on 647 participants to understand how anxiety influences creativity. They were asked to come up with solutions for a real-world financial scenario- how to raise a large sum of money quickly. Both groups had to suggest ideas for this.
Along with this, they were also asked to imagine how a first date could unfold. The participants were divided into two groups and given two scenarios for the first date-one group was asked to think of all the ways it could go well, while the other was tasked with imagining all the ways it could go wrong.
The researchers measured the number of ideas generated and how unique or creative they were.The results showed that those who were anxious came up with more ideas, especially in negative scenarios. But, these ideas were repetitive and lacked originality. On the other hand, those who were less anxious generated fewer ideas, but their ideas were unique and more innovative.
Furthermore, the money task tested creativity in practical, real-life situations. Participants came up with fewer ideas compared to the first-date task, but these ideas were judged on practicality, goal-oriented thinking, and morality. This highlighted a different kind of creativity focused on problem-solving rather than imagination.
The date task and the money task were designed to compare two different creativity- hypothetical creativity and practical creativity.
In hypothetical scenarios, like the date scenario task, anxious people came up with many ideas, but they were repetitive.
In practical scenarios, like the money task, anxious participants generated fewer ideas, but their focus was on practicality and moral responsibility.
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Optimism is important for creativity
Anxiety sparks many ideas, but this study suggests that originality thrives in positive emotional states. This is why having a positive state of mind is important for producing fresh and innovative ideas. As they say, quantity is not quality; an anxious mind may be quick to come up with ideas, but these quickly become repetitive, stuck within the loop of negative emotions. In contrast, a positive mindset allows for broader, more flexible thinking.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice.