The creative personality: Exploring relations of creativity and openness to experience

Two studies explored the relation between creativity and Openness to Experience from the five-factor model. In Study 1, 110 respondents to a national mailing sent to creative directors at U.S. advertising agencies completed measures of Openness to Experience, optimism, and life satisfaction. The sample of creative directors scored significantly higher than established norms on the Openness domain and its six facet scales indicating creative individuals are more open to experience than other adults. Optimism and life satisfaction in this sample were not significantly different from reported means. In Study 2, a design involving creativity training was used to further explore the creativity/Openness relation by testing two hypotheses: (1) Openness to Experience and creativity are the same construct; and (2) Openness to Experience functions as a moderating variable, enhancing the effects of creativity training. Forty subjects participated in a semester-long study of undergraduate creativity classes. Creativity and Openness to Experience measurements were taken at the beginning and end of the semester. Subjects also completed measures of optimism, life satisfaction, and capacity for stress management. Like the creative directors, students in the creativity classes scored significantly higher than established norms on the Openness domain and facet scales. No relation between Openness to Experience and creativity training emerged, however. Although creativity increased from Time 1 to Time 2, Openness remained stable. A multivariate analysis of variance was completed for creativity as a function of time and Openness. Only a main effect for time emerged indicating that creativity increased. Openness did not interact with time, indicating that Openness does not appear to make an individual more sensitive to creativity training. Neither Openness nor creativity were related to well-being. Results suggest that creativity and Openness to Experience are not the same construct, nor does Openness function to moderate the effects of creativity training. A comparison of established norms, however, revealed an interesting hierarchy: advertising students were higher in Openness than norms and advertising professionals were higher than students. Clearly, creativity is related to Openness to Experience.