Creativity is one of those ambiguous qualities which we all strive for without fully understanding them. While in formal terms creativity is often described as “the ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas”[2], this definition is in fact incomplete, as it doesn’t account for the selection and refinement phases that constitute an important part of the creative process. A divergent idea, for example the concept of a tube of toothpaste riding a motorcycle might seem novel, yet it wouldn’t be considered creative. It lacks a deeper meaning, that would make it useful or interesting. In this article we will look at the neurological pathways related to the creative process and how to leverage them to stimulate one’s ability to engage in such activity.
The two ingredients of a creative idea
In order to be creative, an idea needs to not only be novel, but also meaningful and applicable. In general, creative ideas reveal to us fundamental rules concerning ourselves or the world surrounding us. An interesting example from the visual arts are works of M.C. Escher, where the repetitive motifs are brought to our attention, while the distinct details get lost in the composition[3]. This is the exact inverse of what our visual system is experiencing every day. Our brains are used to alert us of any anomalies, and is thus very detail oriented, while repetitive motifs and patterns are consistently ignored. The works of M.C. Escher reveal to us an important rule of our visual perception system, by subverting it, which makes them both novel and useful, thus creative[1].
Parallels with neural pathways
Just as two main ingredients are necessary to make an endeavor creative, there are two distinct reflection mechanisms that constitute a creative process, each governed by a separate neural circuit.
The first mechanism responsible for the creation of novel thought is divergent thinking. This type of reflection is governed by the nigrostriatal pathway, which controls deliberate motion, including the suppression of unwanted movement[4].
The second mechanism, convergent thinking, focuses on generating a single, well-defined solution to a problem. It is regulated by the mesocortical pathway involved in focus, persistence, motivation, and emotional response[5]. Convergent thinking allows one to set criteria that restrain the universe of concepts resulting from divergent thinking[6].
In simpler terms if divergent thinking is an idea generating machine, convergent thinking is a sieve that separates the novel but useless from the truly creative.
Tools for Stimulating your Creativity
Now that we understand what constitutes the creative process, let’s discuss some tangible tools and protocols that can enhance your ability to engage in creative endeavors.
Meditation
Focused attention meditation (FAM) and open monitoring meditation (OMM) are two types of meditation related respectively to divergent and convergent thinking[8]. Their practice helps to develop a general ability to be creative, but it does not prime your mind to immediately engage in the creative process[1]. Thus, at least a few weeks of routine meditation is required for meaningful, tangible effects to appear.
FAM protocols involve intentionally focusing on a particular object, like the sensation caused by breathing. This allows you to disengage more easily from potential distractors like intrusive feelings, thoughts, and external stimuli. During OMM the goal is to maintain a non-judgmental awareness; to do this you need to allow your mind to wander freely and to accept indiscriminately all your thoughts and feelings.
Here’s an example of a simple protocol that combines FAM and OMM:
- You may want to set a timer with a very quiet alarm to keep track of the time.
- Find a comfortable position, whether sitting or lying down and close your eyes.
- Start with 5 to 10 minutes of FAM. Taking deep breaths and focusing on this sensation. When your mind wanders, don’t panic just gently bring your attention back to your breathing.
- After the 5 to 10 minutes pass, try slowly releasing your attention, allowing your mind to wander. Observe the thoughts, feelings, sensations and sounds that surround you without concentrating too much on any one of them. If you find this difficult you can simply imagine a wave of sand travelling from your soles to the top of your head, covering all your body.
- After another 5 to 10 minutes pass. Take a few deep breaths and open your eyes. Congratulations you have just completed your first FAM-OMM protocol 😊.
Yoga Nidra or NSDR
Yoga Nidra also called NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest) is a relaxation technique during which a subject finds themselves in a state between sleep and alertness. To reach that state, you simply need to lay down with eyes closed and remain immobile for as short as 10 min and up to 30 min. You may listen to a recording walking you though the practice or you might choose to simply lay in silence.
Yoga Nidra leads to the release of dopamine in the nigrostriatal pathway stimulating it; which in turns prepares your brain for divergent thinking[7]. NSDR shows best results when done right before the brainstorming part of your creative process.
Use of Caffeine
Nigrostriatal and mesocortical pathways are both dopaminergic circuits, which means they are sensitive to the neurotransmitter dopamine. Any activity or substance that leads to the increase of dopamine levels in the body, has a stimulating effect on those pathways, and by extent encourages divergent and convergent thinking.
Caffeine is one of those substances that have a definite positive effect on your cognitive ability. It enhances your focus, increases your alertness hence it promotes convergent thinking. So far present studies have shown no serious impact of caffeine on divergent thinking[9], but some argue that very high doses could stifle your ability to engage in creative idea generation[1].
Physical Activity
Movement of the body not only rises dopamine levels across all neural circuits, but repetitive exercises, such as running, cycling, or hiking, encourage divergent thinking by selectively increasing the activity of the nigrostriatal pathway. It is important to note that these activities have an immediate effect, and work best if you keep yourself free of external distractions (like a podcast or music) during the effort[1]. Lastly don’t forget to write down or record your ideas when they come to you!
Narration and Storytelling
Narrative cognition, that is thinking in actions, causes and outcomes, is a narrative approach to creativity often presented as an alternative to divergent thinking. It is based on three pillars: world building, perspective shifting and action generation. World building refers to creating a novel set of rules, that characterize an alternate reality, different from ours in one or an array of ways. Perspective shifting describes understanding the motivations and goals of a character or characters, that justify their mood, their actions, and their demeanor. Lastly, action generation defines circumstances and factors that force characters with different motivations and alignments to interact and even collaborate [10]. All three of those pillars provide structure and set criteria for the creative endeavors. This means that within the constraints of a narrative cognition exercise, divergent and convergent thinking are confounded.
Role playing games (RPGs) are an excellent example of a narrative cognition exercise, as they encourage creative thought while grounding it in an accepted set of rules.
Sources
[1] Huberman Andrew, “The Science of Creativity & How to Enhance Creative Innovation” Huberman Lab Podcast, Spotify, Dec. 2022, https://open.spotify.com/episode/3gqjK375gp5Kqzyxnt6zXQ?si=2f63f3e359f740b5
[2] “Creativity English meaning”, Cambridge Dictionary, last consulted on 28.03.202 at 3:33 https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/creativity
[3] “Maurits Cornelis Escher” Article, Wikipedia the free encyclopedia, last consulted on 28.03.202 at 3:59 pm https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maurits_Cornelis_Escher
[4] “Nigrostriatal Pathway” Article, Wikipedia the free encyclopedia, last consulted on 28.03.202 at 4:57 pm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigrostriatal_pathway#:~:text=The%20nigrostriatal%20pathway%20is%20a,and%20putamen)%20in%20the%20forebrain
[5] “Mesocortical Pathway” Article, Wikipedia the free encyclopedia, last consulted on 28.03.2023 at 4:57 pm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesocortical_pathway#:~:text=The%20mesocortical%20pathway%20is%20a,dopamine%20pathways%20in%20the%20brain
[6] Cropley, Arthur. “In Praise of Convergent Thinking.” Creativity Research Journal, vol. 18, no. 3, 2006, pp. 391–404, https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326934crj1803_13
[7] Troels W Kjaer, Camilla Bertelsen, Paola Piccini, David Brooks, Jørgen Alving, Hans C Lou, “Increased dopamine tone during meditation-induced change of consciousness”, Cognitive Brain Research, vol. 13, Issue 2, 2002, pp. 255-259, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0926641001001069?via%3Dihub
[8] Fujino, M., Ueda, Y., Mizuhara, H. et al. “Open monitoring meditation reduces the involvement of brain regions related to memory function”. Sci Rep 8, 9968, 2018, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-28274-4#citeas
[9] Zabelina, Darya L., and Paul J. Silvia. “Percolating Ideas: The Effects of Caffeine on Creative Thinking and Problem Solving.” Consciousness and Cognition, vol. 79, 2020, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810019303435
[10] Fletcher A, Benveniste M. “A new method for training creativity: narrative as an alternative to divergent thinking”, Ann N. Y. Acad Sci. 2022, https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nyas.14763
