Curiosity Made the Cat More Creative: Specific Curiosity as a Driver of Creativity

The present research examines the causal relationship between specific curiosity and creativity. To explicate this relationship, the authors introduce the concept of idea linking, a cognitive process that entails using aspects of early ideas as input for subsequent ideas in a sequential manner, such that one idea is a stepping stone to the next. Study 1 demonstrated the causal effect of specific curiosity on creativity. Study 2, a field study of artisans selling handmade goods online, found that experiencing specific curiosity predicts greater next-day creativity. Study 3 demonstrated idea linking as a mechanism for the effect of specific curiosity on creativity. Study 4 further established the impact of idea linking on creativity, finding that it boosted creativity beyond the well-established intervention of brainstorming. The authors discuss specific curiosity as a state that fuels creativity through idea linking and idea linking as a novel technique for creative idea generation.