The inspirational power of arts on creativity

Abstract

We propose that openness to aesthetics and the experience of art enhances individuals' creativity by imbuing them with a sense of inspiration. Although previous literature has claimed that aesthetic experiences increase creativity, there is a shortage of empirical evidence documenting the psychological process that underlies this effect or testing whether it can transfer to domains outside of the arts. To shed light on the process mechanism and test the domain-generality of the effect, we investigated the relationships among appreciation of art, inspiration, and creativity in four studies. Participants with open attitudes toward aesthetic experiences were more likely to be inspired and therefore better able to generate creative solutions (Study 1). Appreciating works of art brought about inspiration, which in turn enhanced creativity (Study 2). Finally, the power of art appreciation extended to a business environment, where it enhanced performance in product design, brand-naming, and problem solution generation (Studies 3a and 3b).