Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
6-2022
Abstract
Research has recognized that people regulate their emotions not only for seeking pleasurable experiences but also for receiving instrumental gains. We draw on the theoretical framework of instrumental emotion regulation (IER; Tamir, 2005, 2009) to shed new light on the relationships among creativity, emotion, and psychological well-being. We outline propositions that explain why there are concurrent creative and well-being benefits when people experience emotional states that are consistent with their personality trait (e.g., worrisome emotions being consistent with trait neuroticism) even if such trait-consistent emotions are negative. The IER perspective offers new interpretations of the creativity—well-being relationship through motivating a more holistic view of emotion regulation and well-being. We present an integrative theoretical model explicating that instrumental regulation toward trait-consistent emotions engages people in emotional states that feel affectively right (affective path), motivate them intrinsically (motivational path), and boost cognitive efficiency (cognitive path), thus yielding potential downstream benefits on creativity and well-being.
Keywords
instrumental emotion regulation, creativity, emotion, psychological well-being
Discipline
Personality and Social Contexts | Social Psychology
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
Journal of Creative Behavior
Volume
56
Issue
2
First Page
159
Last Page
303
ISSN
0022-0175
Identifier
10.1002/jocb.524
Publisher
Creative Education Foundation
Embargo Period
10-5-2022
Citation
LEUNG, Angela K. Y., KOH, Brandon, PHANG, Riyang, LEE, Sean T. H., & HUANG, Tengjiao.(2022). Linking creativity to psychological well-being: Theoretical insights from instrumental emotion regulation. Journal of Creative Behavior, 56(2), 159-303.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3499
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.524