WELL-BEING & CREATIVITY: A Strong Link

Numerous studies have shown that everyday creative activity provides a path to flourishing.

The observed patterns were strong and straightforward: doing creative things today predict improvements in well-being tomorrow. What is meant by flourishing? Experiencing positive emotions like energy, enthusiasm, and excitement.

Are certain personality traits required for these results to apply? Not according to Tamlin Conner, the principal researcher of the study at the University of Otago in New Zealand, who said, “We were actually pleased that personality made no difference in the link between creativity and well-being. This suggests that everyone and anyone can benefit from introducing creativity into their daily lives.”

Conner continues, “Research often yields complex, murky, or weak findings. But these patterns were strong and straightforward: Doing creative things today predicts improvements in well-being tomorrow. Full stop.”

So, engaging in small daily acts of creativity (also called “little c”) may influence overall well-being rather than simply making us feel good in the moment. Scientific research aside, personal experiences from this past year have shown that small acts of creativity such as cooking, gardening, writing, doodling, taking smartphone pictures or sprucing up a living space can greatly improve our outlook. Besides, being more “little c” creative is one resolution that’s more fun to keep than the usual ones.

This blog post © K. Povejsil is republished with permission from the Arts Los Altos blog (2.24.21) at https://www.artslosaltos.org/blog/3