Researchers found that after practicing “emotional reappraisal,” conventional thinkers, or people who score low on being open to new ideas and experiences, produced greater creativity than those with conventional minds. This entails looking at a situation through a different emotional lens, such as attempting to find the neutral or hopeful aspects of an event that makes you angry.
According to the study, which was written up in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, creativity is a skill that can be acquired.
Participants who tried emotional reappraisal in the tests produced more original ideas than those who suppressed their emotions, avoided them, or employed no emotional management techniques at all.
Participants who were already recognized as creative thinkers did not appear to be significantly affected by emotional reappraisal. The authors contend that increasing emotional reappraisal doesn’t have as significant an effect because creative persons already have a tendency to do reappraisals on a regular basis.
Reference: “Unlocking creative potential: Reappraising emotional events facilitates creativity for conventional thinkers” by Lily Yuxuan Zhu, Christopher W. Bauman and Maia J Young, 7 November 2022, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2022.104209
