Research Update

The purpose of this study was to better understand the impact of mindfulness interventions on creative performance.  The investigators reviewed 37 studies, 20 using a control group and 17 using a pretest–posttest design.  A significant positive relationship was found between mindfulness interventions and creativity, both for control group designs (d = 0.42, 95% CIs [0.29, 0.54]) and pretest–posttest designs (d = 0.59, 95% CIs [0.38, 0.81]).

The effect of mindfulness interventions on two different types of creativity was also assessed.  The first, divergent thinking, involves the production and assessment of multiple creative ideas.  The second, convergent thinking, involves making connections between different ideas to determine a correct solution to a problem.  Overall, the impact of mindfulness interventions was greater for convergent than divergent thinking.

The authors concluded that the findings support the use of mindfulness as a tool to enhance creative performance.

Hughes Z, Ball LJ, Richardson C,  Judge J. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. 2023;30: 2155–86