Mindfulness and Creativity: New Research and Practices

"In September 2021, I penned a post for this column entitled "How to Jump-Start Your Creativity Using Mindfulness." The piece centered on the creative implications of mindfulness as a stimulant for both imagination and inventiveness. Since that post was published, I have discovered new research and several commanding practices that underscore the importance of mindfulness as a "spark plug" for our creative endeavors. Let's take a look."

"A 2024 empirical study of 894 secondary school students examined how dispositional mindfulness (one's natural tendency to be mindful) was related to several creativity measures, such as divergent thinking, creative combination, and creative problem-solving. The researchers noted that mindfulness was positively associated with creative functioning and that it enhanced creativity by boosting internal psychological resources such as resilience and optimism."

"Another study released in 2024 sought to determine the relationship between mindfulness and scientific research creativity in graduate students. Results demonstrated that mindfulness directly predicted higher levels of research creativity. Additionally, the researchers showed that mindfulness is also a predictor of creativity, with flow experience and creative self-efficacy serving as mediators in that process. Also discussed were the implications of mindfulness as a relevant element of applied educational and professional endeavors."

Mindfulness is defined as observation without criticism and can be practiced through selected activities that open new creative possibilities. Empirical research links dispositional mindfulness to higher performance on divergent thinking, creative combination, and problem-solving by enhancing resilience and optimism. Studies of graduate students show mindfulness predicts greater research creativity, with flow experiences and creative self-efficacy mediating that relationship. Investigations of undergraduate samples examine mindfulness, mind-wandering types, and creative thinking, exploring how mindfulness modulates the effects of mind-wandering on creativity. Overall, mindfulness functions as a psychological resource and a practical stimulus that fosters imagination and inventiveness.

Read at Psychology Today