Randomized trial explores how positive moods affect originality in visual creativity, suggesting new insights into creativity mechanisms.
Key Points
This research examines how different positive mood states influence visual creativity and originality through cognitive flexibility.
Randomly assigned 90 participants to High-Arousal Positive Mood, Low-Arousal Positive Mood, and Neutral Control groups.
Participants completed three rounds of the Incomplete Shape Drawing Task followed by narratives about their thought process.
Flexibility and originality were assessed using deep learning models and statistical analyses of drawing behaviors.
Mood induction altered participants' self-reported arousal and valence but did not significantly impact flexibility or originality across mood conditions.
Multilevel regression analyses identified two flexibility modes: persistent exploratory breadth and adaptive switching, with only adaptive switching predicting originality significantly.
Findings highlight the limitations of transient mood manipulations in creativity research and illustrate the importance of adaptive flexibility in originality.