Creatives like David Bowie, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan ‘are less likely to fear death because of their lasting legacy’
Singers, songwriters, poets and authors may be less fearful of passing away because they know they have created a lasting creative legacy that will survive them
BEING creative means you are less likely to worry about death, experts believe.
Singers, songwriters, poets and literary geniuses may be less anxious about passing away, because they know their work will live on after their death.
Creative achievement can provide a buffer against being anxious about death, psychologists at the University of Kent said.
They said creatives such as David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, are motivated by a desire to leave an enduring cultural legacy.
Despite their deaths this year, Bowie and Cohen's genius will be appreciated by generations to come.
Researchers led by Rotem Perach at the Kent School of Psychology found those people with high creative ambition and who reach great creative heights in their field, are more likely to be resilient to concerns about dying.
Theirs is thought to be the first empirical study of how creativity can buffer against anxiety.
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To arrive at their findings, the team analysed findings from a group of 108 students.
All those taking part completed two questionnaires to gauge their level of creative achievement and creative ambition.
Those with a track record of creative successes coupled with a drive to achieve were found to think less about death and their own demise, than a control group.
The findings suggest that those who pursue creativity and produce significant creative contributions may benefit from existential security in the face of death.
The findings are published in the Journal of Creative Behavior.