Thinking Creatively through Hands

Abstract

Through four studies, this research empirically demonstrates that physical hand movement and the elicitation of the embodied metaphor of hands enhance creativity and unveils its underlying mechanism. To test our prediction about the positive influence of hand use on creative cognition and judgment, we conducted four experiments. Using various measures of creativity and experimental manipulation of hand use, we demonstrated that hand use increases creativity through the activation of the symbolic metaphor of the “craft-making”. We also investigated the roles of “curiosity and imagination” as a potential mediator, and “the belief of hands as tools” and “engagement” as the boundary conditions for the effect of hand use on creativity. In addition, the current paper verifies that the mediation and moderation effects found in the studies could be applied further to actual consumer setting and influences purchase intention of the featured product. These findings demonstrate that hands serve an important embodied-oriented function and can assist in creative thinking.