A Case for Creativity: The Positive Link Between Creative Ability and Social Cognition Measures

Abstract

Social cognition, a broad interpersonal topic describing how individuals relate to others, has been previously shown to rely, at least in part, on an individual’s ability to simulate or imagine the mental state of another. As a result, links between imaginative ability, or creativity, and social cognition abilities are likely. The current study tests this theory using a series of creative, Theory of Mind, empathy, emotional transition, and autism spectrum assessments. In an attempt to assess the relationship between creative ability and tendency to imagine the internal thoughts and emotions of others, the study compares the performance of creative experts, those with significant creative experience or skill, to performance of controls on social cognition tasks. Results demonstrate trends towards heightened spontaneous Theory of Mind activity in creative individuals, significantly increased performance on empathy measures for the creative group, few intergroup differences in emotional transitions, and greater autism symptoms for creative experts. Together, these results indicate that creative ability does relate to Theory of Mind activity, empathy, and various other social measures, implying that imagination may in fact be a central component to social cognition as a whole.