Vandana V Krishnan
Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts
Symbiosis International (Deemed University)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused monumental changes in the lifestyle of people all around the world. The pandemic has brought to the fore feelings of loneliness, social isolation, and boredom. At the same time, there is also an increase in creative activity that has taken place during this period. Given the importance of creative endeavours to cope with the pandemic, it is fruitful to explore the factors that affect it and, consequently, predict it. The present study hypothesised that loneliness, social isolation, and boredom proneness would predict the frequency of self-reported creative behaviour. A sample of 128 young adults was assessed. Participants were administered the Short General Health Questionnaire, Short Form Boredom Proneness Scale, Lubben Social Network Scale, Short Form UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-8), and a modified version of the Biographical Inventory of Creative Behaviours. Findings indicate that creative behaviour is significantly and negatively correlated with boredom proneness and loneliness. Regression analysis indicates that a model of loneliness, social isolation, and boredom proneness significantly predicts creative behaviour, controlling for age, sex, and current mental health. Specifically, boredom proneness demonstrates a statistically significant effect. These findings are discussed along with their possible explanations and theoretical implications. 

Keywords:  creativity, boredom proneness, social isolation, loneliness, COVID-19