Along with the mistaken belief that language was only in the left hemisphere and spatial skills in the right, some suggested that creativity (something that depends on spatial imagery) must also be a function of the right hemisphere. This was fueled by multiple illustrations showing a rainbow right hemisphere next to a square, calculation-filled left hemisphere.
In which hemisphere of the brain creativity is found has been a question for hundreds of years. After Sperry’s Nobel Prize in 1981, researchers scrambled to identify exactly which brain functions do what. Harpaz’s 1990 article, “Asymmetry of Hemispheric Functions and Creativity: An Empirical Examination,” cited studies from the 1960s and 1970s. Harpaz stated that the right hemisphere “appears to be dominant in synthetic, non-verbal, complete, unitary, spatial and time-dependent functions” and was therefore responsible for creativity. After 1981, researchers spent the next decade shoring up arguments for right-brain creativity, only to be challenged by different definitions of creativity and better images showing its broader reach and multiple complex networks.
Where does the myth come from?
The myth of the “creative right brain” comes from claims that science, mathematics, and logical thinking are found in the left hemisphere, and creativity in the right, which in turn was born from work (winner of an Award Sperry’s Nobel Prize in 1981 on the lateralization of the brain. Until recently, imprecise measurements made by brain imaging technology in the 1990s and early 2000s led to the promotion of this myth.
What we know now
The most current understanding of creativity is much broader and involves multiple brain functions and structures, as well as different neurotransmitters. According to Heilman’s studies, innovation requires disconnection and divergent thinking mediated mainly by frontal networks. Creative people often take risks and seek novelty, behaviors that activate their ventral striatal reward system. Innovation also requires associative and convergent thinking, activities that depend on the integration of highly distributed networks. People are often more creative when they are in mental states associated with reduced levels of brain norepinephrine, which can improve communication between distributed networks.
Creativity is also being studied in relation to the default mode network, or the ways in which the brain is active when it is at rest. Beaty and colleagues “suggest that the ability to generate creative ideas is characterized by greater functional connectivity between the inferior prefrontal cortex and the default network, pointing to greater cooperation between brain regions associated with cognitive control and cognitive processes.” low-level imaginative.” This means that creativity is not limited to the functions of the right hemisphere and may not be related to the “active” skill set, but rather to what the brain does when it is not focused on anything in particular.
If you value articles like this, consider supporting us by becoming a Pro subscriber. Subscribers enjoy access to members-only articles, materials, and webinars.
Creativity, like intelligence, is an extremely complex mental process. Localization in the brain can only be done by first deciding which theory of creativity you adhere to, then breaking down creativity into its many sub-elements (disengagement, divergent thinking, risk taking, novelty seeking, associative and convergent thinking, cognitive control, and imaginative processes, among others) and by identifying studies that establish each of these neural networks. This is a monumental task that has not yet been undertaken.
References:
Beaty, RE, Benedek, M., Wilkins, RW, Jauk, E., Fink, A., Silvia, PJ, … Neubauer, AC (2014). Creativity and the default network: A functional connectivity analysis of the creative brain at rest. Neuropsychologia, 64, 92-98. https://doi.org/
Drago, V., Foster, PS, Heilman, KM, Aricò, D., Williamson, J., Montagna, P., & Ferri, R. (2011). Cyclic alternating pattern in sleep and its relationship to creativity. Sleep Medicine, 12(4), 361-366. https://doi.org/
Drago, V., Foster, P.S., Skidmore, F.M., & Heilman, K.M. (2009). Creativity in Parkinson’s disease as a function of right versus left hemibody onset. Journal of the neurological sciences, 276(1), 179-183. https://doi.org/
Gansler, D.A., Moore, D.W., Susmaras, T.M., Jerram, M.W., Sousa, J., & Heilman, K.M. (2011). Cortical morphology of visual creativity. Neuropsychologia, 49(9), 2527-2532. https://doi.org/
Harpaz, I. (1990). Asymmetry of Hemispheric Functions and Creativity: An Empirical Examination*. The Journal of Creative Behavior, Vol. 24, pp. 161-170. https://doi.org/
Heilman, K. M. (2016). Possible Brain Mechanisms of Creativity. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology: The Official Journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists, 31(4), 285-296. https://doi.org/
Heilman, K.M., & Acosta, L.M. (2013). Visual artistic creativity and the brain. Progress in Brain Research, 204, 19-43. https://doi.org/
Heilman, K.M., Nadeau, S.E., & Beversdorf, D.O. (2003). Creative innovation: possible brain mechanisms. Neurocase, 9(5), 369-379. https://doi.org/
Leon, S.A., Altmann, L.J., Abrams, L., Rothi, L.J.G., & Heilman, K.M. (2014). Divergent Task Performance in Older Adults: Declarative Memory or Creative Potential? Creativity Research Journal, 26(1), 21-29. https://doi.org/
Fountain: