The Creative Cliff Illusion

Research conducted by Brian J. Lucas and Loran F. Nordgren uncovered the "Creative Cliff Illusion." It is the belief that creative performance declines over time, leading to premature quitting and undervaluing ideation. Eight studies were conducted, measuring participants' expectations of their creative performance and comparing them with the actual results. The research showed that people expect their creative performance to start high and then decline as they get tired and run out of ideas. However, their creative performance actually stays stable or improves over time. The first set of ideas are usually based on memory and comfortable to produce, but it's crucial to push oneself and the team to produce truly valuable and creative ideas. The cliff isn't real, so don't quit early.