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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
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Why Love Has Wings and Sex Has Not: How Reminders of Love and Sex Influence Creative and Analytic Thinking

Jens Förster

University of Amsterdam and Jacobs University Bremen, j.a.forster{at}uva.nl

Kai Epstude

University of Groningen

Amina Özelsel

Jacobs University Bremen

This article examines cognitive links between romantic love and creativity and between sexual desire and analytic thought based on construal level theory. It suggests that when in love, people typically focus on a long-term perspective, which should enhance holistic thinking and thereby creative thought, whereas when experiencing sexual encounters, they focus on the present and on concrete details enhancing analytic thinking. Because people automatically activate these processing styles when in love or when they experience sex, subtle or even unconscious reminders of love versus sex should suffice to change processing modes. Two studies explicitly or subtly reminded participants of situations of love or sex and found support for this hypothesis.

Key Words: love • sex • processing styles • priming • construal level

This version was published on November 1, 2009

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 35, No. 11, 1479-1491 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167209342755
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