What Does It Take To Achieve A Creative Breakthrough? New Psychological Research Investigates

Thomas Edison famously said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. New research appearing in the academic journal Personality and Individual Differences adds another twist to Edison’s mantra: it is typically the perspiration that precedes a creative breakthrough rather than follows it.

To arrive at this conclusion, a team of researchers, led by Mathias Benedek of the University of Graz in Austria, examined the extent to which people believed in the following 15 scientifically verified facts about creativity:

  1. When stuck on a problem, it is helpful to continue working on it after a break.
  2. Creative people are usually more open to new experiences.
  3. Creative ideas are typically based on remembered information that is combined in new ways.
  4. Whether or not something is viewed as creative depends on zeitgeist and cultural norms.
  5. Positive moods help people get creative ideas.
  6. Getting rewarded for creative performance at work increases one’s creativity.
  7. A man’s creativity increases his attractiveness to potential partners.
  8. Creativity is an important part of mathematical thinking.
  9. Alpha activity (10Hz) in the brain plays an important role in creative thought.
  10. Teachers appreciate the idea of creativity but not necessarily creative pupils.
  11. Creative people are usually more intelligent.
  12. Men and women generally do not differ in their creativity.
  13. The first idea someone has is often not the best one.
  14. To be considered creative, something has to be both novel and useful or appropriate.
  15. Achieving a creative breakthrough in a domain (i.e., publishing a successful novel) typically requires at least 10 years of deliberate practice and work.