What is it about?
People often think creativity leads to impulsive or unhealthy behavior. However, this research suggests a more nuanced picture. Across four studies, creative people were more likely to interpret temporary indulgences—such as taking a break or giving in to temptation—in ways that helped them stay committed to their long-term goals. Creativity may therefore support flexible and sustainable self-control, rather than simply undermining it.
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Why is it important?
Creativity is often viewed as a “double-edged sword” in self-regulation because it can promote rationalization and impulsive behavior. This research offers a new perspective by showing that creativity may also support adaptive self-control. Across four studies, we demonstrate that creative people are more likely to generate justifications that allow temporary indulgence while maintaining commitment to long-term goals. Rather than simply weakening self-control, creativity may help people recover from setbacks and re-engage with their goals. These findings contribute to current debates on flexible self-regulation, motivation, and the psychological role of meaning-making in goal pursuit.
Perspectives
I have long been interested in why people sometimes give in to temptation yet still manage to continue pursuing their goals. Much of the self-control literature focuses on resisting temptation, but everyday life is often more complicated than that. Through this research, I wanted to explore the possibility that creativity helps people make sense of setbacks and recover from them, rather than simply avoid them. I hope this article encourages readers to think about self-regulation not only as inhibition, but also as a flexible process of interpretation, meaning-making, and re-engagement with valued goals.
Miki Toyama
University of Tsukuba
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Creativity and self-regulation: From justificatory cognition to motivational dynamics., Motivation Science, May 2026, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/mot0000433.
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