Introduction

Welcome to The Human Potential Lab! In this special series of The Psychology Podcast, I will be doing solo episodes answering your burning questions about the mind, brain, human behavior, and human potential.

In the second episode of this series, I will be talking about creativity and how it differs from intelligence.

Creativity can come in many different forms. It can be expressed through artistic compositions, through ingenious solutions to problems, or even through the combination of seemingly paradoxical ideas. Over the years, there’s been a large number of scientific studies which have sought to measure creativity. Not only that, but researchers have been able to identify what predicts divergent thinking and its association with certain personality traits. Other fascinating areas of investigation include the link between mental illness and creativity and the neuroscience behind the creative process. Today we will touch on all of these exciting areas. 

Website: scottbarrykaufman.com

Twitter: @psychpodcast & @sbkaufman

Topics

01:57 Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking

08:24 “Beyonder” characteristics

12:39 Personality traits associated with creativity

18:07 Ego strength of creative individuals 

22:06 Creative people have messy minds

25:53 Neuroscience of creativity

32:39 The link between creativity and mental illness

34:59 Flow and the creative process

37:55 Combining originality and relevance

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