Creativity and Inspiration: Thinking Outside the Box

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”

Stephen King

Introduction

Creativity is a marvel of the human mind that can take many expressions. Think of

composers like Bach or Mozart, scientists like Marie Curie or Einstein, the young computer whizes in Silicon Valley or the chef who has created a new way to fry chicken.

What does science tell us about creativity? And are there ways to nurture it?

Definition of Creativity

There is likely no one-size-fits-all definition of creativity. Psychologists have almost universally agreed on the definition originally proposed by Guilford over sixty years ago. He defined creativity in terms of two criteria: originality or novelty, and appropriateness or adaptiveness, i.e., relevance to the task at hand. The element of surprise is sometimes added as a third criterion.

Very often inspiration comes to people who have been working and thinking about a problem for a long time. For example, the nineteenth-century German chemist August Kekulé claimed to have pictured the ring structure of benzene after dreaming of a snake eating its own tail. Isaac Newton, already a mathematician, arrived at the law of gravity after observing an apple falling from a tree.

A creative person will question the status quo, seek an explanation or search for how to make it better. I believe there would be no creativity without curiosity. Children are born curious. They are eager to understand the world. If a child asks why is the grass green, and his mother explains that it is due to the presence of chlorophyll and then perhaps suggests that they google it for more information, this child will grow up differently from the one whose the parent snaps, “That’s a stupid question. Go and tidy up your room.” The former will encourage questioning and creativity while the latter will discourage it.

Another aspect of creativity is the ability to think outside the box. Here again the family as well as the culture play an important role. Authoritarian families and societies live by strict rules. There are boundaries everywhere. How you speak, dress, eat, believe, etc. There is a right way and a wrong way. And if you go against the grain – you get punished. Growing up in such an environment suppresses novel and unconventional ideas.

Finally, fear of making a mistake, being wrong and loosing face prevents many people with good ideas to try them out or share them with friends or colleagues.

Can studies of genetics, brain anatomy and other biological research throw some light on this subject?

Biology of Creativity

Genetics

While creativity is a complex trait influenced by numerous genes, the "DRD2 Taq1A" gene has been linked to novelty-seeking behavior and creative ideation. Additionally, genetic variations in neurotransmitter receptors may influence an individual's propensity for creativity by affecting the functioning of key neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin.

Prenatal Stimulation

Neuroanatomist Marian Diamond, U of California, Berkley, found that the offspring of pregnant rats raised in an enriched environment - toys and companions - had thickening of brain cortex and more synapses compared to a control group.

S. Kiyono, Institute of Developmental Research, Aichi, Japan working with pregnant rats raised in an enriched environment found that their offspring were better at maze learning than controls.

Newborn rats after spending 30 days in an enriched environment had increased number of synapses, research at the University of Illinois demonstrated.

These and many other studies point to the importance of both, pre-birth and early post-birth stimulation boosting neural connectivity, usually taken as a sign of increased intelligence and capacity to learn.

The Brain

Creativity involves both divergent and convergent thinking. Divergent thinking is the ability to generate a multitude of novel ideas and possibilities, often associated with the Default Mode Network’s (DMN) activation during spontaneous thought. Convergent thinking, on the other hand, is the process of narrowing down these ideas to find the most viable and relevant solution, a function that heavily relies on the prefrontal cortex.

Default Mode Network (DMN)

The DMN becomes active when the mind is at rest and not engaged in specific external tasks. It is often associated with self-referential thoughts, daydreaming, and mind-wandering – all of which can be fertile ground for creative insights.

Prefrontal Cortex

Located at the front of the brain, the prefrontal cortex is often considered the "executive center" of the brain. It plays a crucial role in various cognitive functions, including working memory, decision-making, and problem-solving – all of which are integral to creativity. The prefrontal cortex helps us organize information, set goals, and make connections between seemingly unrelated concepts.

Structural Brain Differences

Researchers have identified structural brain differences in individuals with high levels of creativity. For example, a study published in the journal "NeuroImage" found that highly creative individuals tend to have increased gray matter volume in the medial prefrontal cortex, a region associated with self-generated thoughts and creativity.

Final Thoughts

Creativity often means taking the road less traveled. Studies cited here show that the brains of all animals, including humans, benefit from both, prenatal and postnatal enriched environments, and that impoverished environments can lower the capacity to learn and to think. One of the key biological foundations of creativity is the intricate interplay between different brain regions. It's not just about the activity of individual regions but how they communicate and synchronize with each other. This dynamic connectivity is essential for creative thinking. From a psychological point of view growing up in a family that encourages curiosity and a society that accepts a wide variety behaviors and opinions will nurture creativity.

Key Takeaways

Curiosity is the mother of creativity.

Growing up in a family that encourages curiosity nurtures creativity.

Fear of criticism for being wrong prevents many creative people from “coming out” with unconventional ideas.

Enriched prenatal and postnatal environments support brain development and potentially, creativity.

References

Boden, M. (1990). The creative mind: Myths & mechanisms. London. Basic Books.

Diamond, M. C. (2001). Response of the brain to enrichment. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 73, 211-220.

Gabora, L. (2013). Research on Creativity. In Elias G. Carayannis (Ed.) Encyclopedia of

Creativity, Invention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (pp. 1548-1558). New Delhi, India: Springer.

Guilford, J. P. (1950). Creativity. American Psychologist, 5, 444−454.

Guilford, J. P. (1968). Intelligence, creativity and their educational implications. San Diego: Knapp.

Kiyono, S., Seo, M. L., Shibagaki, M., & Inouye, M. (1985). Facilitative effects of maternal environmental enrichment on maze learning in rat offspring. Physiology & behavior, 34(3), 431-435.

Luft, C. D. B., Zioga, I., Thompson, N. M., Banissy, M. J., & Bhattacharya, J. (2018). Right temporal alpha oscillations as a neural mechanism for inhibiting obvious associations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(52), E12144-E12152.