The Creative State of Mind

Creativity is an extremely subjective process, unique to each individual’s abilities. While it is known that some individuals are capable of being more creative than others, it is not known which mechanisms control this process. The ignorance that comes along with this discipline of neuroscience can be seen as a challenge for companies/businesses where employees are expected to be inventive moguls, capable of consistently creating the newest, best thing.

Dr. Carolina Salvi’s research proposes a solution to such concerns. In her research, Dr. Salvi examines the two different methods of creative thinking: insight and analysis. Insight is commonly seen as the “aha” or “eureka” moment one has when a solution to a problem is found. When a solution is found through this method, it appears to the individual that the solution came to them all at once, with no conscious knowledge of processing. However, it has been proven that the process of problem solving through insight is largely unconscious. Consciousness is only allowed for once a solution has been found. Contrastingly, problem solving via analysis is a step by step process that is a continuous approach towards a solution, and also requires trial and error.

In comparing the two ways of thinking, Dr. Salvi investigated not only how these mechanisms work but also questioned whether you are more correct when you have an insight versus solving a problem via analysis. Results showed that solutions through insight were 92% more correct than by analysis. Additionally, Dr. Salvi uncovered that when giving participants less time to solve a problem, insights are less likely to occur. Rather, when in a time crunch, analysis is the primary technique used, and this answer is oftentimes incorrect. These results suggest that in order to solve a problem through insight, and have a higher likeliness of being correct, a calm and relaxed state of mind must be achieved.

A study by Remi Radel at the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis, France found results in contrast to those by Dr. Salvi. More specifically, the findings suggest that mental exhaustion, caused by overworking oneself, can lead to creativity. In this study, participants performed a computerized task that required vigorous attention -- finding the direction of a center arrow by ignoring the directions of surrounding arrows. This task was repeated by participants for roughly 2000 trials. After the participants completed all of the trials, their creativity in verbal tests was measured. Participants were presented with a “priming word,” followed by a “target word,” and their ability to connect unrelated words was measured. In comparison to control participants, that did not complete as many trials and were not as overworked, experimental participants were found to be more creative. This creativity was induced by Dr. Radel’s ability to exhaust a participants’ inhibition -- the brain’s ability to filter out unwanted information unconsciously. This inhibition is typically considered to be essential for everyday tasks such as problem solving and selective attention, while also halting creativity. According to Dr. Radel’s results, once this inhibition is repressed, primarily through mental exhaustion, the mind is able to utilize creative thinking. 

Researchers have come to different conclusions regarding the process of creative thinking. Understanding this task will require further investigation. Such exploration can potentially shape the way that people think about the creative process.

References:

Kannan, M. (2015, June 09). Overworking Your Brain Can Spark Ideas. Retrieved February 28, 2019, from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/overworking-your-brain-can-spark-ideas/

Kounios, J., & Beeman, M. (2014). The Cognitive Neuroscience of Insight. The Annual Review of Psychology,56, 71-93. doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115154