How Are You, My Dearest Mozart? Well-Being and Creativity of Three Famous Composers Based on Their Letters
Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: The importance of creativity is being increasingly recognized by economists; however, the possibility that emotional factors determine creative processes is largely ignored. Building on 1,400 letters written by three famous music composers, I obtain well-being indices that span their lifetimes. The validity of this methodology is shown by linking the indices with biographical information and through estimation of the determinants of well-being. I then exploit the data and provide quantitative evidence on the existence of a causal impact of negative emotions on outstanding creativity, an association hypothesized across several disciplines since the antiquity that has not yet been convincingly established.
DOI: 10.1162/rest_a_00616
Author: Karol Jan Borowiecki
Institution: University of Southern Denmark
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W3122870871