Is Creativity Inherently liberal?

A few months ago, someone left an Amazon review for a Creative Thinking Journal, I created. The review stated that the journal might have been worthwhile if the guided exercises weren’t “specifically about liberal thoughts.”

Huh! I thought. I had no intention of writing a book about creativity for leftists. Many of the creative activities introduced in the guided journal are open-ended and rely on free association, allowing users to add anything they choose without being told what to say or think.

To be inclusive, I even sought out to make the journal’s exercises, imagery, and thought experiments gender-neutral, multi-cultural, and non-political. Which I suppose may be liberal unto itself.

The question nagged at me: Is it even possible to create a book on creativity that isn’t inherently liberal? Isn’t divergent thinking, non-linear thought, reimagining the world, creating new ideas and applications for things — inherently liberal? That doesn’t seem plausible, does it?

Let’s Investigate! But first, for reference, here’s the review in full:

“This book could be a lot of fun, however, it only sees one side of things, it only talks specifically about liberal thoughts and does not take into consideration any other opinion. It is too bad they have not taken anyone else into consideration while thinking up their questions. To mold them in such a way is really sad.”

— Amazon Reviewer

DEFINING RIGHT AND LEFT

Merriam-Webster’s official (and well-liked) online dictionary defines a liberal as “one who is open-minded or not stringent in the maintenance of traditional, or established practices.” Meanwhile, a conservative is defined as “tending or inclined to preserve previously held ideas, conditions, or institutions.”

Even if they disagree on politics, economics, or other values, both conservatives and liberals require creativity to get through their days in every sort of situation. To budget your household income. To compliment your spouse on an ill-fitting outfit. To persuade the police officer that you were not driving the vehicle at the moment he pulled you over.

CREATIVE THINKING THROUGHOUT HISTORY

Those we’d most readily classify as high-achieving “creatives” in modern times — inventors, thinkers, musicians, painters, actors, and writers — are more than often to the left of center when it comes to politics. Take a look at any major political rally’s pop culture “special guests,” and this will become immediately clear. No offense Scott Baio.

However, it’s not just modern variations of such “creatives” that lean left. Just to mention a few, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Marie Curie — a decent five-person collection in terms of humanity — were also deeply interested in trend-bucking worldviews and lifestyles, expressed in their politics and interests. Many progressive thinkers throughout history were at risk of isolation, jail, and even death for defying the norm.

LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE BRAINS ARE QUITE DIFFERENT

A recent study found that creative professions tend to be filled with more liberal individuals. That is not to say that conservatives do not exist within these kinds of creative professions; rather, it’s to say that the majority of positions in these industries are filled by self-proclaimed liberal thinkers.

A different study published in the Creativity Research Journal that focused more on creative thinking came to similar conclusions but from a different perspective. This research examined original patents to see whether conservatives or liberals were more creative; it discovered that in areas with a lot of conservatism, fewer patents were granted overall.

DIFFERENT IDEOLOGIES, DIFFERENT SKILLS

Creativity relies on non-linear and divergent ways of thinking. It involves looking for solutions to problems from completely new perspectives. These are all skills encouraged by liberalism. However, conservatism does not place the same value on these different ways of thinking.

According to a Northwestern University study, one of the reasons liberals may be more comfortable or successful in creative activities is because they have better problem-solving skills. There are a few possible explanations for this. Conservatives mostly prefer more structured and succinct ways of thinking, whereas liberals are more receptive to ambiguity. It’s this openness that encourages more advanced creative thinking.

Other research has linked creativity to diversity. Groups with diverse backgrounds tend to be more creative when compared to groups from a single or more homogenous background. Multiple perspectives, it stands to reason, provides more input from a greater variety of angles — meaning more insight and experience that can be applied to problem-solving or creation.

WHY SOME CONSERVATIVES MIGHT BRISTLE AT CREATIVITY

According to one researcher, because conservatives dislike ambiguity, they may be more creative anxious when confronted with certain creative activities. This not only detracts from their performance in these areas but also contributes to an uncomfortable experience along the way.

Another hypothesis is that conservative beliefs about authority play a role. Conservatives are more likely than liberals to favor following instructions rather than coming up with their own solutions. The method of accomplishing a task, rather than a limitation in imagination, is the main roadblock in this case.

A third explanation involves “life satisfaction.” Conservatives value more wholesome, traditional ideals, while liberals tend to value more boundary-crossing behavior. As a result, liberals may be more receptive to unconventional ideas than conservatives.

If these studies reveal anything, it’s that conservatives aren’t born less creative, but rather that they lose touch with their creativity as they place greater emphasis on more linear modes of thought. As a result, when compared to liberals, who have greater cognitive flexibility: The capacity to change one’s thinking to fit the current situation.

SO… IS CREATIVITY INHERENTLY LIBERAL? YES AND NO

Overall, being a liberal does not mean you’re more creative. Nor does being a conservative mean you’re less so. According to the evidence, however, these ideas have an impact on how we think, how we are evaluated, the intellectual risks we take, and the way we create. Creativity may not be inherently democratic in nature, but liberalism certainly promotes and fosters it in a way that conservatism does not for a variety of causes.