Adults may be more creative than children – but less confident about it
We often associate children with creativity, but adults actually performed better on inventive tasks, despite being less sure of themselves
Adults may possess greater creativity than children, according to new research, though they appear less confident in their abilities. Traditionally, children have been perceived as more creative due to their availability of time and opportunities for such activities. However, this study reveals that adults excel in creative thinking yet compensate with confidence.
Mathias Benedek, a researcher from the University of Graz in Austria, asserts that adults demonstrate more creativity, while children derive greater enjoyment from the process and are less concerned about others' opinions on their ideas.
The researchers conducted a comprehensive study involving 92 children aged 4 to 7 and 70 adults aged 25. They were tasked with three creative assignments: generating alternative uses for a tin can within 3 minutes, free drawing for 8 minutes, and drawing an imaginary animal in 8 minutes. An impartial panel of five individuals then judged the outcomes based on originality and task completion.
On average, adults scored 4 points out of 5 in the first task, whereas children scored 3 points. In the subsequent tasks, adults outperformed children by 0.5 and 2 points, respectively. This disparity could be attributed to adults' broader knowledge of animals, enhancing their ability to create novel creatures in the final task.
Post-task, participants answered questions regarding their perceived performance, anxiety levels, and enjoyment. Children reported higher confidence, scoring their performances between 4 and 5 points, compared to adults' 3-point assessments. Additionally, children exhibited lower anxiety levels than adults.
Benedek suggests that the core purpose of creativity should be enjoyment and unrestricted expression. In this regard, children excel. Despite the quality of their results, both groups found comparable pleasure in the animal-drawing task. However, adults might have experienced less anxiety due to the task's explicit instructions, reducing their fear of judgment.
Regardless of the outcome, engaging in creative pursuits can significantly enhance mental well-being, fostering social skills and decreasing the likelihood of mental health issues.
Written by urgent.news from New Scientist's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
