Affective Induction and Creative Thinking

Abstract

Three studies explored the relation between affect and production of creative divergent thinking, assessed with the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (Figural TTCT). In the first study, general, positive, and negative affect, assessed with the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) were compared with creative production. In the second study, 2 affective states—happiness and sadness—were induced by means of 2 film sets, and creative production under these 2 conditions was compared. In the third study, using masked facial feedback, 2 affective states were induced: happiness—by requesting participants to hold a pencil in their teeth—and anger—by holding it with their lips—and creative production under both induced affects, as well as with a previous noninduced affect, was compared. In general terms, the results of all 3 studies show that positive affect, both general positive affect and the happy affect induced in the two experimental manipulations, increased the production of creative divergent thinking. Negative affect had no impact on the production of creative divergent thinking, neither general negative affect nor the experimentally induced affects of sadness and anger. In masked induction, the induced positive affect improved creative production, compared to the noninduced control situation; in contrast, the induced negative affect presented no differences in creative production, compared to its previous noninduced condition.