The Link Between Intrinsic Creativity and Benefit to Others

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People often take for granted that their personal fascination will be intriguing and useful to others, but this is not always the case. The speaker believes that creative work should have the potential to benefit others, and creating for the sole purpose of personal fulfillment might not be as beneficial. The speaker discusses the importance of ensuring that creative work has a possibility of being worth sharing, as it allows for the use of one's time and skills in a way that benefits other people. They mention a study where it was found that intrinsic motivation did not always lead to the expected levels of creativity, challenging the belief that curiosity and passion would fuel creativity.

Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist, author, and host of the podcasts Work Life and Re: Thinking. His new book is Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things.

“If you only focus on your own interest, you tend to develop novel ideas, but not necessarily useful ideas. And so for me, the audience is a filter. … I might have 30 ideas for a book. Let me hone in on the four or five that also might be relevant to other people. The goal there is to make a contribution.”

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