In a recent study spanning 28 diverse nations, researchers have uncovered a modest but notable correlation: individuals with conservative views tend to display lower levels of creativity. Published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, this large-scale investigation also highlights that individual differences greatly overshadow country-level differences in predicting creative capabilities.
Previous studies have predominantly focused on the traits and cognitive styles that boost creativity, such as openness to experience, flexibility, and novelty-seeking. In contrast, conservative thinking, which emphasizes order, tradition, and predictability, has been suggested to potentially inhibit creative processes. This hypothesis is grounded in the idea that creativity often requires breaking away from established norms and thinking “outside the box,” qualities that might be less pronounced in conservative individuals.
However, earlier studies exploring this relationship were mostly confined to Western, industrialized countries, thus limiting the generalizability of their findings. These studies also rarely considered the impact of environmental factors, which could influence both societal values and individual behavior.
To bridge the gap left by previous research, the current study was designed to include a broader international sample, including countries that are often underrepresented in psychological research. The researchers aimed to assess whether the previously observed patterns between conservatism and creativity would hold true in a more diverse set of environments, particularly considering different levels of economic development and cultural backgrounds.
The study involved 8,186 participants from 37 countries, though the analysis was ultimately conducted with 6,865 participants from 28 countries after excluding data from several countries due to unreliable measures. The excluded data came from countries where either the psychometric properties of the conservatism measure were not satisfactory, or cultural restrictions prevented the collection of full data on key measures.
To assess creativity, the researchers used the Test for Creative Thinking – Drawing Production (TCT-DP), which is deemed “culturally fair.” Participants are given a partially completed drawing that includes abstract shapes and lines. They are instructed to add to this drawing in any way they see fit, with no specific guidelines regarding what to draw. The completed drawings were evaluated based on 13 criteria, which include aspects such as the elaboration of ideas, originality, the complexity of connections, thematic unity, and the breaking of conventional boundaries.
To assess conservativism, the participants responded to statements about various social and political issues such as the death penalty, multiculturalism, stiffer jail terms, gay rights, and religious authority.
The researchers observed a negative correlation between conservatism and creativity at the individual level. This indicates that individuals who hold more conservative values are likely to exhibit lower levels of creativity compared to those with less conservative views. The relationship, though statistically significant, was characterized as weak, indicating that while conservatism might influence creativity, it is not the sole or most dominant predictor of creative capabilities.
Higher education levels were positively correlated with creativity, whereas older age was associated with lower creativity. These findings align with existing literature suggesting that education enhances cognitive flexibility and innovative thinking, while certain cognitive aspects of creativity might decline with age.
The strength of the relationship between conservatism and creativity also varied across different countries. However, in none of the countries did conservatism positively correlate with creativity, reinforcing the general trend of a negative association.
Importantly, the researchers found that the majority of variance in creativity (over 92%) was attributable to individual differences rather than differences between countries. This highlights the significance of personal characteristics over cultural or national backgrounds in determining an individual’s creative potential. The findings held even after controlling for education, economic situation, sex, age, parasite stress, and vulnerability to infection.
“We observed significant but weak negative associations between individual-level creativity and individual-level conservatism. The study addressed a clear gap in the field of creativity psychology, which has mainly focused on American and, to a lesser extent, Chinese samples, but largely neglected other nations,” the researchers concluded.
“We show that when an international sample is considered, demographics, prevalence of parasitic disease, and ideologies account only for a small share of the variance in creativity. Individual differences remain far more influential than does country-level variance in predicting creativity.”
However, the cross-sectional design does not allow for causal inferences. Thus, it remains unclear whether conservatism restricts creativity or if less creative individuals tend to adopt more conservative views. Additionally, the use of the TCT-DP may not capture all dimensions of creativity, suggesting that future research could benefit from incorporating a wider array of creative measures.
The study, “Conservatism Negatively Predicts Creativity: A Study Across 28 Countries,” was authored by Agata Groyecka-Bernard, Piotr Sorokowski, Maciej Karwowski, S. Craig Roberts, Toivo Aavik, Grace Akello, Charlotte Alm, Naumana Amjad, Kelly Asao, Chiemezie S. Atama, Derya Atamtürk Duyar, Richard Ayebare, Carlota Batres, Aicha Bensafia, Anna Bertoni, Boris Bizumic, Mahmoud Boussena, David M. Buss, Marina Butovskaya, Seda Can, Antonin Carrier, Hakan Cetinkaya, Daniel Conroy-Beam, Marco Antonio Correa Varella, Ilona Croy, Rosa María Cueto, Marta Czerwonka, Marcin Czub, Silvia Donato, Daria Dronova, Seda Dural, Izzet Duyar, Berna Ertugrul, Agustín Espinosa, Carla Sofia Esteves, Tomasz Frackowiak, Aleksandra Gajda, Marta Galewska-Kustra, Jorge Contreras Graduño, Farida Guemaz, Ivana Hromatko, Chin-Ming Hui, Iskra Herak, Raffaella Iafrate, Jas Laile Jaafar, Dorota M. Jankowska, Feng Jiang, Konstantinos Kafetsios, Tina Kavčič, Nicolas O. Kervyn, Nils C. Köbis, Izabela Lebuda, Georgina R. Lennard, Ernesto León, Torun Lindholm, Mohammad Madallh Alhabahba, Zoi Manesi, Sarah L. McKerchar, Girishwar Misra, Conal Monaghan, Emanuel C. Mora, Alba Moya-Garófano, Bojan Musil, Jean Carlos Natividade, George Nizharadze, Elisabeth Oberzaucher, Anna Oleszkiewicz, Mohd Sofian Omar Fauzee, Ike E. Onyishi, Baris Özener, Farid Pazhoohi, Mariia Perun, Annette Pisanski, Katarzyna Pisanski, Edna Lúcia Tinoco Ponciano, Camelia Popa, Pavol Prokop, Muhammad Rizwan, Svjetlana Salkičević, Susanne Schmehl, Oksana Senyk, Shivantika Sharad, Franco Simonetti, Meri Tadinac, Karina Ugalde González, Olha Uhryn, Christin-Melanie Vauclair, Diego Vega, Ewa Weremczuk-Marczyńska, Dwi Ajeng Widarini, Gyesook Yoo, Maja Zupančič, Afifa Anjum, Anam Shahid, and Agnieszka Sorokowska.