How Are You, My Dearest Mozart? Well-being and Creativity of Three Famous Composers Based on their Letters

Karol Borowiecki

Economic Papers from Trinity College Dublin, Economics Department

Abstract: The well-being of a person is reflected in the language used. Building on 1,400 letters written by three famous music composers, I obtain well-being indices that span their lifetime. The validity of this methodology is shown by linking the indices with biographical information and through estimation of the determinants of well-being. I find, consistent with the literature, that work-related engagements and accomplishments are positively related with well-being, while poor health or death of a relative is detrimental. I then exploit the data and provide quantitative evidence on the existence of a causal impact of negative emotions on outstanding creativity, an association hypothesized across several disciplines since the Antiquity; however, not yet convincingly established for the case of extraordinary achievers.

Keywords: Well-being; happiness; positive emotions; negative emotions; creativity; health; labor; composer; letters; methodology; music history. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D60 I31 J24 N33 Z11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 58 pages
Date: 2014-01, Revised 2016-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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http://www.tcd.ie/Economics/TEP/2016/TEP0114.pdf

Related works:
Journal Article: How Are You, My Dearest Mozart? Well-Being and Creativity of Three Famous Composers Based on Their Letters (2017)
Working Paper: How Are You, My Dearest Mozart? Well-being and Creativity of Three Famous Composers Based on their Letters (2016)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:tcd:tcduee:tep0114

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