The Bias Against Creativity: Why People Desire but Reject Creative Ideas
Abstract read at Crossref. The authors propose that people can hold a covert bias against creativity, activated when they are motivated to reduce uncertainty, even while they endorse creativity as a goal. In two experiments that manipulated uncertainty by different methods, including an uncertainty-reduction prime, participants showed a negative bias against creativity relative to practicality when uncertain, and the bias interfered with their ability to recognise creative ideas.
Abstract read at Crossref. The authors propose that people can hold a covert bias against creativity, activated when they are motivated to reduce uncertainty, even while they endorse creativity as a goal. In two experiments that manipulated uncertainty by different methods, including an uncertainty-reduction prime, participants showed a negative bias against creativity relative to practicality when uncertain, and the bias interfered with their ability to recognise creative ideas.
Written from the full text read 2026-10-18.
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Mueller, J. S., Melwani, S., & Goncalo, J. A. (2012). The Bias Against Creativity: Why People Desire but Reject Creative Ideas. Psychological Science, 23(1), 13-17. doi:10.1177/0956797611421018.