The Japanese Conception of Creativity: Myths and Facts

Abstract

Empirical research on creativity spanning decades has identified several stereotypes on creativity that are not supported by scientific evidence. Known as creativity myths, these stereotypes can harm an individual’s creative endeavors in school or at the workplace. In prior research, the Creativity Myths and Facts Questionnaire (CMFQ) has been used to empirically investigate the extent to which people approved particular myths and facts related to creativity and the reasons for their belief in them (participants from Austria, Germany, Poland, the USA, China, and Georgia). The current study translated the CMFQ into Japanese and surveyed Japanese participants (N = 3,101). The approval rate for creativity myths among the Japanese was 58%, slightly lower than that for creativity facts (61%), a trend similar to that of other countries. The average approval rates for creativity myths in the Japanese sample suggest that the participants, compared to those from the six countries examined in prior research, have a stronger belief that creativity is a rare talent, that creativity is the same as art, or that it is difficult to change creativity. Furthermore, the results show that demographic variables, knowledge sources, and personality type, which have all been identified in existing studies as factors contributing to the belief in creativity myths, have a weak but significant influence among Japanese participants. We also discuss the high rate of uncertainty as a distinct characteristic in Japanese participants’ responses to creativity myths and facts.