Green and dreams can facilitate creativity

Abstract

This study investigated whether dream intensity is related to creativity and the enhancement of creativity via color stimulation. Dream Intensity Scale and Guilford's Unusual Uses Task were used to assess 120 participants' dream characteristics and creative performance. They were asked to take Guilford's Unusual Uses Task thrice (tin can, paperclips, and brick) on 3 colored paper sheets (green, red, and white), with counterbalanced combinations of items and colored sheets. After that, they completed the Dream Intensity Scale. The Dream Intensity total score showed a positive correlation with the creativity score across all color conditions. It was furthermore positively correlated with the within-subject difference in the creativity score between the green and white conditions, with the correlations for the Dream Vividness and Altered Dream Episodes factor scores being the largest. The overall evidence suggests that people who experience more vivid dreams and exert more control over their dreams are more creative and benefit more from the facilitative effect of green. © 2020 American Psychological Association.