Mozart. Shakespeare. Picasso. Why do certain people seem to possess natural artistic talents? Perhaps creativity is a gift that some people are born with, or perhaps it is shaped by experience. In other words, is creativity a product of nature or nurture? This question was tested using an ingenious twin study.
The Twin Study
The study included 122 pairs of twins who were separated and raised apart. The twins drew pictures as samples of their creative talents. Then professional artists gave each picture a creativity score from 1 (not creative) to 8 (highly creative).
Nature
The findings revealed that twins were remarkably alike in their levels of creativity. For example, the highly creative twins tended to have highly creative co-twins and the less creative twins tended to have less creative co-twins. Because the twins were raised in separate households, these similarities have to be explained by genetic factors. Put simply, creativity is partly a product of our genes or biology.
Nurture
Wait, don’t rule out social factors just yet. Although the twins were similar in their levels of creativity, they were not exactly the same. This means that creativity is also shaped by our experiences, such as training and exposure to the arts.
The Case for BOTH
To summarize, this study provides an answer to the age-old question: are we a product of nature or nurture? When it comes to artistic creativity, the answer is a resounding BOTH! Creativity is a product of our genes and our social experiences. The artists of the world may have a biological predisposition towards creativity, but it is the social factors that help to cultivate that potential.
References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4563813/
http://msutwinstudies.com/why-twin-studies/
http://www.apa.org/monitor/apr04/second.aspx
