Connections between curiosity, flow and creativity

Abstract

Previous research has shown that greater curiosity, the desire to know, is associated with more creativity, which entails generating new or useful ideas or products. The intense concentration and absorption that characterises the phenomenon of flow may connect curiosity with creativity. The present study investigated the connections between three dimensions of curiosity, namely joyous exploration-related curiosity, knowledge-deprivation sensitivity, and stress tolerance. Fifty-seven participants, with a mean age of 35, engaged in the novel task of designing a water conservation program. Participants judged their experience of designing the program on scales that assessed their curiosity and flow during the activity. Two raters independently coded each participant's program description on creativity, and the mean of the two ratings produced the creativity score for that participant. Higher joyous exploration curiosity, knowledge-deprivation sensitivity, and tolerance of stress were all associated with more flow. More experience of flow, as judged by participants after engaging in the activity, was significantly associated with greater creativity. Even though the direct relationships between curiosity and creativity did not reach statistical significance, flow linked each of the dimensions of curiosity with creativity. These findings may provide a basis for programs intended to increase flow or creativity.