Meditate, And Then Create: An Investigation of the Effects of Brief Mindfulness Meditation on Creative Problem Solving
Date
2013
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Haverford College. Department of Psychology
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
The purpose of the current research was to investigate the effects of mindfulness on creative problem solving and to consider the potential influence of stress and affect on this relationship. Seventy-nine undergraduate college students completed measures of mindfulness, stress, and affect as well as tasks of both divergent and convergent creativity. Participants in the experimental condition were exposed to 12 minutes of mindfulness meditation, while participants in the control condition completed a working memory task of the same duration. Hypotheses predicted that mindfulness would positively influence creative thinking, and that this relationship would be mediated by stress reduction and affect improvement. Results failed to support these hypotheses, as few significant effects of condition on creativity were found. Additionally, stress reduction and affect improvement did not seem to significantly improve the creative process. Possible explanations for findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.