Smile and have ideas

Light bulbHarvard has an interview with Teresa M. Amabile on creativity and the power of ordinary practices.

Here’s a gem from the interview:

If people are in a good mood on a given day, they’re more likely to have creative ideas that day, as well as the next day, even if we take into account their mood that next day.

There seems to be a cognitive process that gets set up when people are feeling good that leads to more flexible, fluent, and original thinking, and there’s actually a carryover, an incubation effect, to the next day.

So happy people really are more creative. I knew it!

Via businesspundit.

Share this

Comments

7 responses to “Smile and have ideas”

  1. Kirsten Harrell, Psy.D. Avatar

    Great post! Research is also showing that happiness leads to success. So happy people are creative and successful! Looks like we need more Chief Happiness Officers! :)

  2. Alexander Avatar

    Thank you VERY much Kirsten. And remember: Anyone can be a CHO.

    Oh, and I blogged about the link between happiness and success here: https://positivesharing.com/2006/06/happiness-at-work-leads-to-success

  3. Kirsten Harrell, Psy.D. Avatar

    I had not yet seen that post… great! Isn’t it fun when science and research supports our work to create more happiness and positivity in the world. I am so happy to have found your blog! Keep up the good work.

  4. […] Harvard Business School study: Happy employees are more creative. […]

  5. […] article in HBR about The Culture of Helping at US innovation agency IDEO by Teresa Amabile (whose work we already love around here)

  6. […] positive emotions, your mind functions in a broader and more open way. This is also confirmed by the research performed by Teresa Amabile who found […]

  7. […] positive emotions, your mind functions in a broader and more open way. This is also confirmed by the research performed by Teresa Amabile who found […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


Get our newsletter

“I can’t believe it – a newsletter actually worth reading!”
– Subscriber

Over 6,000 people subscribe to our newsletter with tons of tips about happiness at work.


Get our books

“It’s very, very good. It’s incredibly well written, full of insights, and there are exercises to improve your own happiness at work. You can’t ask for more than that!”
– David Maister, author of Practice What You Preach

“What an inspiring book. Every leader should read it. This type of leadership has been integral to our success and I know it will boost your results too.
– Garry Ridge, CEO WD-40 Company


Get Our Free Newsletter

Over 6,000 people already get our free newsletter with useful tips, videos, links and articles about happiness at work.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.