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Comparative Study
. 2008 Dec;34(12):1677-86.
doi: 10.1177/0146167208323933. Epub 2008 Oct 1.

The dark side of creativity: biological vulnerability and negative emotions lead to greater artistic creativity

Modupe Akinola  1 , Wendy Berry Mendes
Affiliations
Comparative Study

The dark side of creativity: biological vulnerability and negative emotions lead to greater artistic creativity

Modupe Akinola et al. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2008 Dec.

Abstract

Historical and empirical data have linked artistic creativity to depression and other affective disorders. This study examined how vulnerability to experiencing negative affect, measured with biological products, and intense negative emotions influenced artistic creativity. The authors assessed participants' baseline levels of an adrenal steroid (dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, or DHEAS), previously linked to depression, as a measure of affective vulnerability. They then manipulated emotional responses by randomly assigning participants to receive social rejection or social approval or to a nonsocial situation. Participants then completed artistic collages, which were later evaluated by artists. Results confirmed a person-by-situation interaction. Social rejection was associated with greater artistic creativity; however, the interaction between affective vulnerability (lower baseline DHEAS) and condition was significant, suggesting that situational triggers of negative affect were especially influential among those lower in DHEAS, which resulted in the most creative products. These data provide evidence of possible biological and social pathways to artistic creativity.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Relationships between dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS) and negative affect by feedback condition, controlling for pretask emotions. NOTE: Slopes are reported as standardized betas (β). *p < .05.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relationships between dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEAS) and creativity by feedback condition, controlling for pretask emotions. NOTE: Slopes are reported as standardized betas (β). *p < .05.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mediated-moderation analysis testing the mediating role of negative emotional responses (high negative and low positive affect) as a causal factor of the Person × Situation (P × S) interaction and creativity scores. NOTE: The outer path presents comparisons of social rejection to social approval; the inner path presents comparisons of social rejection to the control condition. Paths are reported as standardized betas (β). Asterisks indicate a statistically significant relationship. DHEAS = dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate. †p < .10. *p < .05. **p < .01.
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