Creativity is a human capacity that we would like to have but we do not know how to enhance it. It is defined as the ability to generate new, useful and original ideas. Traditionally, it was considered an innate quality, almost a gift of nature. However, advances in cognitive neuroscience have allowed it to study it from a more empirical approach. Thanks to science, today it is known that the creative brain generates ideas through a dynamic balance between free thinking (spontaneous and unrestricted) and executive control (it helps us organize, plan and make decisions).
Why, then, some people seem intrinsically more creative than others? According to neuroscience, we face a complex phenomenon that arises from the joint participation of various brain networks, neurochemical processes and a combination of genetic and environmental influences. There is no single cause that explains why some people are more creative than others, but there are several relevant scientific mechanisms and findings.
Connectivity between brain networks
Creativity is associated with the interaction between three main networks of the brain. First, the default network It is the one that is activated during reverie, when we start our imagination or with introspective thinking. It is key in the generation of spontaneous ideas, unusual associations and is related to the generation of new ideas.
Second, the Central Executive Network It is involved in the control of attention, planning and logical thinking. It helps evaluate and select useful or viable ideas, that is, it allows filtering and selecting the most promising ideas.
And the third network involved, the SALIENCY NETWORKacts as a mediator between the other two. It is a kind of “switch” between the two, which identifies which internal or external stimuli are relevant and decides when to alternate between free thinking and executive control.
Scientific studies based on the use of functional magnetic resonance have shown that creative people have greater functional connectivity between these three networks. That is, creativity is the result of collaboration between different brain areas, there is a balance between two important mental processes: the spontaneous appearance of ideas and cognitive control, or what is the same, the ability to evaluate those ideas to be useful.
Therefore, a creative brain not only generates many ideas (divergent thinking), but also knows how to select the most useful (convergent thinking). Because of this, creative people efficiently alternate both processes, using both the default and central executive network. This cognitive flexibility capacity allows to navigate between spontaneity and critical evaluation.
Neuroanatomy of creativity
As for the brain areas involved in creative processes, experts have also identified three:
- The prefrontal cortex It is the “orchestration” area of creative thinking, especially in tasks that require evaluating ideas, reformulating problems or thinking flexibly. Specifically, its dorsolateral portion is activated during convergent thinking, that is, when the brain selects the best idea among several. In turn, the medial region of the prefrontal cortex is more related to divergent and introspective thinking, in connection with the default network. Therefore, creative people show a better functional regulation between the medial region of the prefrontal cortex and other brain networks, such as the default network, which allows them to alternate between free thinking and cognitive control.
- He striated body It is a fundamental part of the reward system and in this case it is activated when a person finds a novel or valuable idea generating a feeling of “revelation.” In this way it stimulates intrinsic motivation to explore new ideas or continue creating, even without an immediate external reward. It facilitates, therefore, the association between previous and new ideas, through learning based on the reward.
- He mesolimbic systemrich in dopamine, it is activated when a person feels pleasure in creating or discovering something new. Reinforces creative behavior by doing it emotionally satisfactory. In addition, it is linked to cognitive exploration, so that people with the greatest mesolimbic activity have more variability and complexity in their thoughts, which is essential for creativity. In fact, functional magnetic resonance studies suggest that the activation of this area predicts greater creative fluidity and persistence in open tasks (those that allow multiple possible responses and serve to measure creativity in experimental environments).
And how do these regions work to favor creativity?
The default network generates an unexpected idea, at which time the mesolmbic system identifies it as an interesting, novel or promising idea and produces a peak of “pleasure for novelty.” Now it is the striated body that reinforces that idea that has produced a peak of pleasure, and the prefrontal cortex analyzes whether the idea, as such, is useful or necessary to modify it, deciding what to do next. Creativity, therefore, is not only a matter of generating ideas, but of evaluating and refining them, enjoying the process.
Neurotransmitters in dance
Cerebral neurochemistry also influences creativity, especially dopamine, neurotransmitter related to motivation, pleasure and cognitive exploration. According to Ashby and collaborators (1999), high dopamine levels facilitate divergent thinking, verbal fluidity and cognitive flexibility, all fundamental competences for creativity. Likewise, it has been observed that positive moods, which increase the release of dopamine, can expand the range of mental associations, allowing more original connections between apparently unconnected ideas.
The emotional regulator is serotonin. His role is not as well defined as that of dopamine, but by favoring emotional stability and perseverance, important factors in long -term creativity, also participates in the creative process.
At high levels, norepinephrine favors convergent and focused thinking, which is useful for evaluating ideas. This suggests that this neurotransmitter modulates the change between divergent and convergent creativity, according to the context.
And as a memory enhancer appears acetylcholine. Although its direct relationship with creativity is less studied, its action has an impact on the fixation and recovery of memories, which is essential to connect ideas and experiences during creativity, since it improves the fluidity of mental associations.
In summary, although dopamine is the main protagonist of the creative process, it is not just about producing it, but about having a dynamic balance between the multiple neurotransmitters responsible for free thought, attention, motivation and critical evaluation. An excess or deficit of any of them can hinder the creative process.
Genetic factors and neurodivergencia
Creativity also has a moderate genetic basis, according to studies with twins, although there is no “gene of creativity.” On the other hand, certain personality features, such as opening to experience (one of the five major personality features of the “five great” model), are associated with higher levels of creativity. This opening refers to the tendency of a person to be curious intellectually, imaginative, open to new ideas and experiences and interested in creativity and novelty. Deyoung and collaborators (2010) described how this feature is related to a greater volume in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a key region in the integration of complex information.
On the other hand, some studies suggest a possible connection between creativity and certain forms of neurodivergencia, such as bipolar disorder or ADHD. In his book Touched with Fire (1993), KR Jamison, proposes that hypomaniac states can encourage intense creative production. Shelley Carson (2011), on the other hand, suggests that a lower cognitive inhibition (typical in some neurodivergente profiles) allows access to atypical or less conventional ideas, which could favor creative thinking.
Environment and stimulation
While neurobiological factors are important, the environment also modulates creativity. Being exposed to enriched environments, cultural diversity, new experiences or complex challenges stimulates cerebral plasticity and strengthens connections that facilitate creative thinking. Creativity, in this sense, is not only a matter of predisposition, but also of “cognitive nutrition.”
This capacity is not something reserved only to a few people, but it is the result of a series of complex interactions between our brain, chemical processes, our genetics and the surrounding environment. The most creative individuals often show a better connection between certain brain networks, have an optimal balance of neurotransmitters, have personality traits that favor innovation and, in some cases, have neurodivergente characteristics that facilitate their ability to think differently. In addition, the environment and life experiences also play an important role in how these capacities develop.
Understanding creativity from the point of view of neuroscience is essential, not only to unravel its mysteries, but also to know how we can enhance it.
This article was originally published in The Conversation.