The science of human creativity.
Our research draws from social psychology, neuroscience, positive psychology, humanistic psychology, and existential philosophy to investigate creativity as a fundamentally human act.
Current Research
Original research led by Jessica Carson in collaboration with colleagues.
Scale Development · Positive Psychology
Beyond Originality & Effectiveness: The Conceptualization & Development of an Authentic Creativity Scale
Creativity has long been theoretically understood as a humanistic act through which individuals express their authentic personhood, exercise their unique gifts, and realize their potential. Yet this human dimension is largely missing from creativity's empirical measurement. This study develops and validates the Authentic Creativity Scale (ACS) — a new psychometric instrument measuring the degree to which a creative work reflects the creator's true self, and whether this affects meaning, satisfaction, inspiration, and affect in the creator and their audience.
Online Behavior · Social Psychology
The Censorship Paradox: Does Disinhibition Increase Self-Censorship Online?
In contexts where people are permitted to respond to others in uncensored ways, does self-censorship increase among potential expressors? This study experimentally manipulates the level of disinhibition in a simulated online environment to test the counterintuitive hypothesis that exposure to disinhibited environments leads creators to self-censor more — not less — by heightening fear of negative evaluation and the threat of social sanction.
AI & Creativity · Identity · Well-being
The Creator Dilemma: Inauthenticity & the Psychological Costs of AI-Assisted Creative Expression
While generative AI can enhance creative productivity, the act of creating has long been understood as a fundamentally human act through which individuals express their authentic personhood. This study examines whether using AI to complete creative work triggers feelings of inauthenticity, moral discomfort, and negative affect in creators — particularly those for whom creativity is central to their identity.
Archive Note
The papers collected here represent some of the Center's favorite contributions to creativity research throughout history — spanning the foundational frameworks, empirical studies, and humanistic arguments. Where possible, open-access PDFs have been provided so that this literature is freely available to all.
Establishes an empirical link between creative engagement and self-actualization, grounding the humanistic argument that creativity is central to becoming fully oneself.
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Maslow argues that creativity is not a talent but an orientation — a fearless, childlike openness to experience that can be cultivated in anyone willing to become more fully human.
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One of the earliest sociological treatments of creativity, arguing that cultural context shapes what kinds of novelty are recognized, rewarded, or suppressed.
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Identifies originality as a stable personality disposition, linked to independence of judgment, complexity-seeking, and tolerance for ambiguity.
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Introduces the "Four P's" framework — person, process, product, press — that became a foundational taxonomy for organizing creativity research.
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Demonstrates that extrinsic constraints — evaluation, surveillance, competition — systematically undermine intrinsic motivation and creative output.
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Proposes the classic four-stage model of the creative process — preparation, incubation, illumination, verification — still influential nearly a century later.
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Maps creativity onto distinct neural systems, offering a neuroscientific account of how creative thought differs from routine cognition.
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Meta-analysis of 83 studies finding that creative people share traits including openness, autonomy, and hostility to convention.
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Proposes that creative people "buy low, sell high" in ideas — pursuing unpopular notions before the crowd arrives.
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Draws on 91 interviews to argue that creativity is inseparable from flow and the interplay of person, domain, and field.
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Formalizes "originality and effectiveness" as the standard definition while noting its limitations for capturing the full humanity of creative work.
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Reviews divergent thinking, problem finding, and evaluation as cognitive underpinnings of creative thought and how they interact with motivation.
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Situates creativity within biological, personal, social, and cultural systems — no single level can fully explain the phenomenon.
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Explores how reasoning contributes to personally meaningful creative thought, distinguishing personal from eminent creativity.
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May's argument that creativity is an act of courage — a confrontation with anxiety and the unknown inseparable from authentic living.
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Rogers locates the source of creativity in the fully-functioning person — arguing that psychological safety and freedom are the essential conditions for genuine creative expression.
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Extends the componential framework to organizational contexts, showing how work environment, resources, and management practices shape the conditions for creative contribution.
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A refined statement of Amabile's landmark framework, integrating domain-relevant skills, creativity-relevant processes, and intrinsic motivation as the three essential components of creative production.
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Argues that creativity is not reserved for the eminent few but is a universal human capacity expressed in daily life — and a key indicator of psychological health and adaptive functioning.
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Updates Maslow's self-actualization construct with contemporary personality and well-being research, reaffirming its relevance to understanding creative, purposeful human lives.
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