Are liberals really more creative?

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What I really think hurts the majority of conservatives is their all-too-literal interpretation of the Bible and trying to follow it word for word and then stifling nearly everything but Bible in their children's education. Most the ones around here are very religious in addition to being conservative. It's difficult to be creative when you have this narrow path paved for you by a book that was intended for people living thousands of years ago and has been revised to fit certain agendas so parts of it might have nothing to do with the actual folks it's written about. This dependence and brain washing hurts their creativity early on so they look less intelligent because they turn their noses at anything God in the Bible might disapprove of and that's anything besides what's in the Bible. It's a religion of fear. They are in constant fear of retribution by God so this stifles any stray thoughts. This lack of desire to learn certain fields gives the impression they are not so intelligent and worldly as someone who is free to study anything their heart desires without fear of retribution by an unseen force of some kind. Not all Christians are like this but fundies tend to fear and be skeptical of anything not in the Bible. Too bad the wisdom of "Knowledge is Power" was left out of it then we would see all these genuii everywhere itching to be at the top of their class always. For some reason, knowledge became something to fear and ignorance became ideal. Just another confusing lie humans get caught up in. There does seem to be a confounding energy at play, where it originates or what purpose it serves I am not aware. Maybe it is some kind of evolutionary safety net?

Note:

In my DISCUSSION culture MAKES me an extreme nerdy introvert by the time I arrived on 'this Internet site'; I am reformed back to my innate, instinctual, intuitive way of moving SUPER EXTRAVERTED human being NOW. Cultural Environment is an incredible manipulator of human nature. And yes, in this way, culture can be deadly in more ways than is superficially visible in external ways of control; by the psychopathic leaning Folks AMONG US; who live to heartlessly subjugate and control OVER loving ways of connecting in living AND LOVING LIFE, PER ALL OTHERS, AND THE REST OF NATURE, AS WELL AKA GOD!..

I found the study, or what I presume is the study, since it is referenced in a number of articles. I could only find one study.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/files/u81/Dollinger__2007_.pdf




The study was done on college students taking a Psych course so the WEIRD filter is already in effect before the study even starts.

They were given a questionnaire about their political opinions (considered more objective than asking them if they self-identify as conservative or liberal) and then given a bunch of creativity measures.

Creativity measures used:
1)Creative Behavuiour Inventory where students rank how frequently (if ever) they've done various creative things like write poems.

2)vocabulary test: does a large vocabulary correlate with creativity? They don't go into that. But I do recall that this correaltion was a sub-premise in Orwell's 1984 since language was intentionally low-vocabulary as a way to stifle outside-the-box thinking.

3)drawing: not a test of artistic skill but rather a test of how creatively the subjects filled in the missing parts of a partly-completed drawing

4)photo essay: students were asked to take 20 photos that answered the question "who are you?" and write a little essay about them. These were judged based on individuality. I guess a creative person can be creative in describing themselves.

5)openess index: the questions start as "I see myself as someone who....." and then there are different things a person could be open to such as reflect or play with ideas.

Conclusion: students scoring high on liberalism more often scored higher on creativity while those who scored high on conservatism more often scored lower on creativity.

As is always the way, the media reporting on the study distorted the results. This is why I always like to go back to the study if possible (some are behind pay walls). The researchers said the correlation was 'small but consistent'. The media distorted that into a large correlation and left the impression that liberal=creative and conservative=uncreative. That isn't what the researchers found. They found a small but consistent correlation.

There is also the problem that the OP brought up that maybe some types of creativity aren't being accounted for here. If somebody has an innovative business idea, are we sure they would have scored high on the Openess Index if they'd taken it? If somebody envisions a new machine (like the ipod), are we sure they would have also filled in the blanks creatively of a semi-done picture? (Although business and technology aren't the sole domain of conservatives either, isn't Bill Gates liberal and also a titan of both?) Anyway, those measures are easy to score semi-objectively but they necessarily leave some creativity unaccounted for.

There's also the WEIRDness of the participants. Psych studies have been rightly criticized for applying a filter that they don't acknowledge by using college students for almost all the studies and therefore skewing the results to Western, Educated people from Industrialized,Rich and Democratic countries. (Incidentally it also filters out poor and lower middle class people since these studies always get done at universities and not the modest community colleges that the lower middle class can afford.) Then the results get applied to people who don't fit that demographic and that is not necessarily an accurate thing.

It's far more creative for me to take 20 photos and write a fictional story based on them than to sit there and write about myself for x amount of pages. To me that's the lamest, most unimaginative, non creative thing to do - write about yourself. I think of it as resume writing and that seems so boring and narcissistic. Sure horns deserve to be tooted now and then but it's just so boring when you could write a brilliant, entertaining story that conveys a social message and let yourself be judged on that instead.

People are expected to go on and on about themselves at all time though, and are labeled divergent when they don't do this. It's the cultural norm.

I don't know first you'd have to describe what a liberal is....For the most part over the past few years I've more or less considered myself one. But the way its used as a dirty word and some of the descriptions I've heard of what your
'average liberal' looks and how they are the cause of everything wrong in this country if those people are right about what a liberal is than I guess I am not one. I could just start using the term 'progressive' not a dirty word for right wingers like liberal yet.

Anyways all that said, people have told me I am creative...but I don't feel all that creative at all, I guess I typically associate it with creativity in art...but like I am not going to sit down and create some totally original work of art if I make a work of art its going to have lots of influence from other things other people already created because I just don't have that kind of creative artistic imagination. But perhaps I have more practical creativity...I know in a few difficult situations or where something breaks and I am able to come up with a creative solution that works at least temporarily, but then I just thought that was resourcefulness I picked up from my family.

Yes I forsee in 20 years I'll become a diehard conservative...... doubtful. I still challenge anyone who wants taxes to be eliminated across the board to come up with/suggest a better or at least as effective system to fund public services, social safety network and other things taxes pay for. Also though I know plenty of people over the age of 30 who understand why taxes are a necessary thing. Could be a lot of young liberals have thought through 'hmm what would happen if we just eliminated all taxes' and concluded things would be an even worse disaster than they are now a step some of those older diehard 'you ain't stealin my money via taxation' conservatives haven't yet taken.

They should picture a world without taxes...and if they see a world were they have more money and a similar infrastructure, with all the luxuries provided by tax money such as roads, the fire department coming to put your burning house out, maintenance of public lands ect they are deluded. If it more resembles a third world country, with little infrastructure where hey they at least have a little money 'for now'...then they'd have a more accurate picture of how it would look if tax was up and eliminated.

The oldies are dying anyways....so let them shake their fists and shout till their faces are red about the damned liberals taking this country to hell in a handbasket, because they are butthurt some of us care about social issues....and even study such things in college.

It's called letting one's LIGHT shine and the major difference between introverts and extroverts alike as well as conservatives and liberals is jUST that biblical metaphor of tRUTH..

Life is not hard to figure out for those of us who live in flesh and blood on both sides of the REAL Human coIn..

Maybe, but it doesn't really measure creativity, not like actually using your imagination to fabricate a story of some kind. That's the true measure of creativity, coming up with something that's all yours, that you pull out of thin air.

Well, as always I offer lines of diverse communication here to get responses on both sides of the human coin; and to do that one must often play the role of Devil's advocate. And for obvious reasons, Devil's advocates can be much trickier here than for other online audiences in creating and interpreting abstract metaphors. But yes, even in poetry circles THAT can be tricky there as well, as introversion rules in the world of poetry too.

And that is a well known clinical issue associated with Autism; that haha! obviously does not apply in all cases; me as the 'perfect example in practice' for that as far as creating and interpreting metaphors as an emotionally extraverted person.

So yes, in my view of life after living on both sides of the coin as both super introvert and super extravert, which truly is what the comic book 'Superman' Cartoon is all about; in human chameleon ability as mythological Ninja; I definitely agree that the free verse Poetry I do on my blogs that I have never ever shared here by actual link; and can easily be found with a quick quotes search on "Psalmets of Nature"; is the freest of stream of consciousness creativity assessed in the world of art, in general, in writing by those who analyze the creativity of ART in writing.

And you are welcome to assess that as here everyone is always looking for documented evidence and I am willing to provide that to analytical leaning minds in hopes to bridge an understanding between the social cognition/art/heart/connecting with GOD side of mind with the other side of analytical mind that often rules in Fundie Christian Land too; where St. John's verse 3:16 becomes GOD instead of the REAL FRIGGING THING.

That portion (The GOD PaRT) of the mind and body in balance is a muscle that must be exercised in practice to get stronger. And as you WELL know and FEEL, I HOPE; I often laud your efforts here time and time again in respect of the fact and FEELING that you do JUST THAT..

WELL I DO JUST THAT TOO; but not here; as people have a hard enough time understanding me if I just shorten my sentences or enhance communication in emphasis of emotion with CAPS that work much better than bolding 'cause bolding is just highlighting and emphasis on the emotional essence and fine nuances of written communication must step out of the box of 'Queen Victoria's English' to get to the more Romantic Styles of Language for cultural ways of expression that are emotion oriented instead of concrete labeling MATERIALISTIC STUFF oriented.

And yes, I know for folks who are introverted and do not care to connect to other folks in emotional ways of real life generating positive SOCIAL energy AKA HUMAN LiGHT; this is not for them; and I understand THAT PERFECTLY CLEAR IN PRACTICE, as I too AM once a super Introverted person; also scoring 44 to 45 on the AQ test that scans for Autism; with an INTJ personality like most of the people here; and now scoring 11 on the AQ test on the opposite side of my innate, instinctual, and intuitive non-adulterated cultural version of personality as ENFP..

I am guessing they did this because it's somewhat easier to measure the creativity in somebody talking about themselves. It's not that this is inherently more creative than writing fiction (it isn't). But asking them to write fiction would introduce the insurmountable confounder of not being able to tell who was writing a wholly original story and who was writing an altered version of something they recently read, watched or played. It's hard enough to be semi-objective with this sort of thing but if they introduced actual fiction into it, it would be hard to tell if they were judging the subject or judging the subject's favorite author.

There is also the danger that having the students write fiction would steer the judges towards judging quality/writing skill rather than pure creativity. This was meant to be a measure of creativity completely divorced from any measures of skill or talent. So these things may also have been chosen so as not to skew in favor of english majors taking a psych class over engineering majors taking a psych class.

I don't think "creativity" is exclusive to any political ideology, professionals who make their living in the creative sphere live in the public domain and it serves them no benefit being outwardly politically conservative in the same way some are outwardly liberal. It would hurt their career so they either change what they believe to fit in and bite their tongue, simple as that.

Some of the greatest authors of the 19th and 20th century could described in modern terms as white supremacists but that shouldn't take away great works of fiction they created. You don't have to agree with somebody to enjoy their work, you don't have to even like them. It shouldn't be considered a personal endorsement, I am not in any way responsible at all for what other people do or believe in.

Talking about yourself isn't a measure of creativity though but if they insist, just take a bunch of random photos then write essays that have no connection to anything in the photo. Then you'll win an award for being creative.

How many liberals listen to both sides of the global warming debate? In fact, AlGore said to present both sides of it is biased. RFK jr. said that to deny that global warming exists is the same as treason. They are sure open minded, aren't they?

Conservatives could be saddled with the same criticism, as they adamantly refuse to listen to the other side, often denigrating science in general as false. One conservative former neighbor who I had become friendly with had insisted that talk of global warming was just a means of the left to take away everyone's freedom.

They did put some parameters around it otherwise they would have wound up reading a regurgitation of the 'about myself' essays students have to write for college application (and which they would have worked on probably only 1 year ago).

The parameters were that the photos couldn't be random. They had to answer the question "who are you?" visually. And the written part couldn't be unconnected to the photos. It had to be about "how the photos do and do not capture who you are". Counterintuitively, tight parameters do steer people towards greater creativity.

I googled for examples and look what I found! I had no idea.

http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2010/10/most_hiphop_artists_are_politically_conservative.html



I don't listen to hip hop and so am unfamilar with it. Maybe this wouldn't be shocking to fans. But apparently liberals are thin on the ground in the world of hip hop.