Are Boldness and Risk-Taking the Common Threads Between Creativity and Psychopathy?

Abstract

This study examined boldness and risk-taking as potential common threads between creativity and psychopathy by analyzing the correlation between boldness and risk-taking and psychopathy and creativity. Psychopathy was measured by the PPI-SD scores and creativity was measured by the creative personality scale (CPS), and creative achievement questionnaire (CAQ). Boldness was tested through case scenarios represented to the participants to which they had to mention how close they feel to a fictional character on a scale of 1-5. The balloon analogue risk task (BART) was used to measure risk-taking behaviors in participants. The questionnaires were represented to the participants via the MTurk platform. Through a correlation table, we examined the correlation between risk-taking and affective and antisocial traits of psychopathy and also the correlation between boldness and creativity. Then we investigated the correlation between boldness and affective and antisocial traits of psychopathy and also the correlation between boldness and creativity. We found a significant positive correlation between boldness and creative personality based on the creative personality scale (CPS) score. We also found a significant and inverse correlation between boldness and antisocial traits of psychopathy. There was no significant correlation between risk-taking and creativity or between risk-taking and affective or antisocial traits of psychopathy. Creative achievement was no correlated with boldness or risk-taking but it was significantly correlated with affective and antisocial traits of psychopathy. This study provided the first evidence of a common thread between creativity and psychopathy (boldness), and showed that boldness was positively correlated with creative personality but inversely correlated with psychopathy. It is inferred that boldness is used differently among creative individuals and those with psychopathic traits. This study also provided evidence and creative achievement is to some extent correlated with psychopathic traits although such correlation is not statistically significant between creative personality and psychopathy.