Meditation Increases Creative Thinking

Creative thinking can be characterized as abstract, unique, and novel cognition. This specific type of processing can include various types of attention. According to our speaker, Dr. Zabelina, creativity is thought to use attentional flexibility and/or attentional persistence. Attentional flexibility largely corresponds with divergent thinking and divergent thinkers are known to possess the ability to rapidly and fluidly switch between different ideas/stimuli. This suggests that divergent thinkers could find alternate solutions to a problem. In addition, Dr. Grabowecky expanded on the various types of meditation available such as focused attention (FA) and open monitoring (OM) meditation. The primary difference between the two methods is that focused attention meditation involves directing one’s mind to a certain object, such as breath. Dr. Grabowecky described meditation as a “family of complex emotional and attentional regulatory strategies developed for ends, including the cultivation of well-being and emotional balance.” Many individuals mistake meditation simply as a relaxation technique, but it has been shown to do more than that. The article, Meditation may make even first-time practitioners more creative by Sravanth Verma, describes how meditation increases creative thinking. The study was done by psychologists, Lorenza Colzato and Dominique Lippelt, from Netherland’s Leiden University where they examined the role of meditation on divergent thinking and convergent thinking. To specifically test for divergent thinking, researchers used the Alternate Uses Task, where participants were asked to find many uses for a single object, such as a pencil. Convergent thinking was tested using the Remote Associates Task method, where participants were asked to find a related adjective/word associated with 3 different words. A specific example of 3 unrelated words could be “time”, “hair”, and “stretch” and ultimately the individual would be asked to find the most closely linked word and in this case it would be “long”. The important thing to realize is that convergent thinking is a quality that students need to succeed in school because this skill is actually required in multiple choice tests. The participants, who were either experienced or inexperienced mediators, were asked to meditate 25 minutes before taking either the divergent or convergent test. Participants did better on both tests if they meditated before, but it was found that focused attention meditation actually helped improve convergent thinking while the open monitoring meditation increased divergent thinking scores. Although many people may find this finding completely irrelevant, it ultimately ties meditation and creative thinking together. Meditation is known to have considerable benefits to many aspects of health. Because meditation aids in convergent thinking, it can provide endless opportunities for students. If schools introduced 25 minute focused attention meditation, students would most likely improve grades. 

Scientific Papers

Zabelina, D.L., & Beeman, M. (2013, April 25) Short-term Attentional Perseveration associated with Real-life Creative Achievement. Frontiers in Psychology. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00191

Lutz, A., Slagter, H.A., Dunne, J.D., Davidson, R.J. (2008, March 10) Attention Regulation and Monitoring in Meditation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. Vol. 12 No.4

News Article

Verma, Sravanth. "Meditation May Make Even First-time Practitioners More Creative." Digital Journal. N.p., 30 Oct. 2014. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.