The reciprocal relationship between openness and creativity: from neurobiology to multicultural environments

The desire for novelty and variety in experiences, which may manifest in an inclination to engage with individuals from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, collectively constitutes the personality dimension known as Openness to Experience. Empirical research has identified a positive correlation between trait openness and various expressions of creativity, such as divergent ideation, innovative problem-solving strategies, and cumulative creative accomplishments. This nexus between openness to interpersonal diversity, as an aspect of the larger personality trait of openness, and creativity has precipitated considerable scholarly interest across the disciplines of personality, social and organizational psychology, and neuroscientific investigation. In this paper, we review the neurobehavioral properties, including the cognitive processes and neural mechanisms, that connect these two constructs. Further, we explore how culture influences levels of openness and creativity in individuals and consider how creativity predisposes individuals toward openness to a plethora of experiences, including those occurring in culturally diverse contexts. This reciprocal entanglement of creativity and openness has been shown to foster a reduction in biases, augment conflict resolution capabilities, and generally yield superior outcomes in multicultural environments.

Automated summary

The desire for novelty and variety in experiences, known as Openness to Experience, is associated with engaging with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. This openness is positively correlated with creativity and has sparked scholarly interest in the fields of personality psychology, social psychology, organizational psychology, and neuroscientific investigation. Culture influences levels of openness and creativity, and creativity predisposes individuals toward openness to experiences in culturally diverse contexts. The reciprocal relationship between creativity and openness reduces biases, enhances conflict resolution capabilities, and leads to better outcomes in multicultural environments.