Slate, December 6, 2013, Friday

Slate

December 6, 2013, Friday

Slate (full article)

Inside the Box: People don't actually like creativity

All of this negativity isn’t easy to digest, and social rejection can be painful in some of the same ways physical pain hurts. But there is a glimmer of hope in all of this rejection. A Cornell study (by ILR's Jack Goncalo) makes the case that social rejection is not actually bad for the creative process—and can even facilitate it. The study shows that if you have the sneaking suspicion you might not belong, the act of being rejected confirms your interpretation. The effect can liberate creative people from the need to fit in and allow them to pursue their interests.