Along the lines of “fake it ‘til you make it”…… Believing you’re creative can make you more creative! That’s according to researchers at the University of Maryland. 

They found that believing you’re creative increases your ability to come up with inventive solutions and original ideas. 

The researchers gathered hundreds of college students. One group was told to imagine themselves as a creative professional – like an artist, writer or designer. The other group was told to take on the mindset of someone in a more conventional, traditional profession – like an accountant or librarian. 

The students then completed the “Uses of Objects Task,” which is a standard psychological test measuring creativity. Basically, you brainstorm various alternate uses for ordinary objects – like a coffee mug or a brick. 

The result?

The students who imagined themselves as artists or writers were able to think of more uses for the objects – and more original uses – than the students who imagined themselves as accountants. 

Again from the study… believing you’re creative increases your ability to come up with original ideas. 

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