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Cooking, Creativity, and Well‐Being: An Integration of Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
Author(s) -
Mosko Jonathan E.,
Delach Madilynn J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the journal of creative behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.896
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 2162-6057
pISSN - 0022-0175
DOI - 10.1002/jocb.459
Subject(s) - creativity , mood , psychology , cooking methods , preference , intervention (counseling) , theme (computing) , qualitative research , social psychology , scale (ratio) , applied psychology , clinical psychology , food science , sociology , social science , chemistry , mathematics , computer science , geography , psychiatry , operating system , statistics , cartography
This study seeks to uncover the benefits of participating in the act of cooking. The study was conducted in two phases at a mid‐sized private university on the East Coast: First was a phenomenological inquiry ( n = 8), followed by a survey ( n = 420). Measures included the Ryff scales of psychological well‐being and a survey of cooking attitudes and behaviors. Four distinct qualitative themes were identified in the first phase: cooking as a means of expressing creativity, positive attitudes about cooking, cooking as a valuable social opportunity, and cooking providing mood improvement. Cooking as a creative outlet was a key theme. We found small but significant correlations between frequency of cooking and the Ryff subscales of Environmental Mastery ( r = .14, p < .003), Positive Relationships with Others ( r = .11, p < .023), and Self‐Acceptance ( r = .11, p < .020). A Chi‐squared 2x1 analysis indicates that survey participants have a significant preference for cooking for themselves and others as opposed to only cooking for themselves. Results suggest that cooking as a creative intervention may contribute to the improvement of mood, social connections, and personal acceptance, and that cooking as a creative act may be relevant to individual well‐being.