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      Evidence that Threatening Situations Enhance Creativity

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          Abstract

          We tested the hypothesis that threatening situations enhance creativity. 60 participants viewed a series of photographs and rated them on level of threat. They then wrote two short stories: one based on the photograph they rated as most threatening, and the other based on the photograph they rated as least threatening. The stories were rated for level of creativity. Paired samples t-tests revealed that stories based on threatening pictures produced a higher degree of creativity than those based on non-threatening pictures. Theoretical frameworks consistent with these findings are discussed.

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          Frontotemporal and dopaminergic control of idea generation and creative drive.

          Alice Flaherty (2005)
          This article presents a three-factor anatomical model of human idea generation and creative drive, focusing on interactions between the temporal lobes, frontal lobes, and limbic system. Evidence is drawn from functional imaging, drug studies, and lesion analysis. Temporal lobe changes, as in hypergraphia, often increase idea generation, sometimes at the expense of quality. Frontal lobe deficits may decrease idea generation, in part because of rigid judgments about an idea's worth. These phenomena are clearest in verbal creativity, and roughly parallel the pressured communication of temporal lobe epilepsy, mania, and Wernicke's aphasia-compared to the sparse speech and cognitive inflexibility of depression, Broca's aphasia, and other frontal lobe lesions. The phenomena also shape non-linguistic creativity, as in that of frontotemporal dementia. The appropriate balance between frontal and temporal activity is mediated by mutually inhibitory corticocortical interactions. Mesolimbic dopamine influences novelty seeking and creative drive. Dopamine agonists and antagonists have opposite effects on goal-directed behavior and hallucinations. Creative drive is not identical to skill-the latter depends more on neocortical association areas. However, drive correlates better with successful creative output than skill does. Traditional neuroscientific models of creativity, such as the left brain - right brain hemispheric model, emphasize skills primarily, and stress art and musical skill at the expense of language and mathematics. The three-factor model proposed here predicts findings in a broad range of normal and pathological states and can be tested in many experimental paradigms. (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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            Malevolent Creativity: A Functional Model of Creativity in Terrorism and Crime

            James Kaufman, David H Cropley, Arthur Cropley (2008)
            Article 0 comments Cited 66 times – based on 0 reviews     Review now
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              The dark side of creativity: biological vulnerability and negative emotions lead to greater artistic creativity.

              Sofiat Akinola, Wendy Mendes (2008)
              Historical and empirical data have linked artistic creativity to depression and other affective disorders. This study examined how vulnerability to experiencing negative affect, measured with biological products, and intense negative emotions influenced artistic creativity. The authors assessed participants' baseline levels of an adrenal steroid (dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate, or DHEAS), previously linked to depression, as a measure of affective vulnerability. They then manipulated emotional responses by randomly assigning participants to receive social rejection or social approval or to a nonsocial situation. Participants then completed artistic collages, which were later evaluated by artists. Results confirmed a person-by-situation interaction. Social rejection was associated with greater artistic creativity; however, the interaction between affective vulnerability (lower baseline DHEAS) and condition was significant, suggesting that situational triggers of negative affect were especially influential among those lower in DHEAS, which resulted in the most creative products. These data provide evidence of possible biological and social pathways to artistic creativity.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Publication date Created: 20 August 2013
                Article
                ArXiV ID: 1308.4245
                SO-VID: c1842a60-5a2e-46bf-9a97-26a6a2d8bd4d
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                http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/

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                Journal reference Riley, S. & Gabora, L. (2012). Evidence that threatening situations enhance creativity. Proceedings of the 34th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 2234-2239). Houston TX: Cognitive Science Society
                Categories q-bio.NC

                ScienceOpen disciplines: Neurosciences
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                ScienceOpen disciplines: Neurosciences

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