Brain-Structure and Creativity Connection

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Abstract

Creativity uses all aspects of someone’s brain, it doesn’t just use a certain part of the brain. Through the whole creative process, from thinking about a concept, to finally presenting the final. The parts of the brain for each step is different for each step. There are different networks that identify which part of the brain is used for a task.  Imagination uses the prefrontal cortex and the temporal lobe. The other networks before the executive network which is when one is concentrating and has focus on a problem. The research done on brain damage and how it affects creativity, shows that when one part of someone’s brain doesn’t function anymore, it allows the person to have a more creative thought process rather than an analytical. However, it can result in there being no emotion within the painting or music.

Brain-structure and creativity connection:

The structure of the brain how it contributes to creativity doesn’t have a considerable amount of research. The relationship between creativity and the Brain structure is very stonf as all parts of the brain is needed for a creative process or idea. The brain is the most complicated organ, creativity is usually regarded for being the right side of the brain and the left is analytical. There are three different networks of the brain used to describe what kinds of task are using certain parts of the brain. Situations that prevent the brain from functioning at its full capacity, such as dementia allows people to be more interested in art suddenly and be more creative.

The definition of creativity is a new development, meaning the ability to develop original and uncommon ideas.  Creativity and human cognition, aren’t developed in the same part of the brain. Scott Barry Kaufman (2013) “You know how the left brain is really realistic, analytical, practical, organized, and logical, and the right brain is so darn creative, passionate, sensual, tasteful, colourful, vivid, and poetic?” Creativity doesn’t use just use one side of the brain, scientists from the university of Utah have analysed around 1,000 brains, finding that people use their left and right side of the brain just as much as each side. The connection between each brain region is what allows human to have both creativity and analytical thinking (Wanjek, 2013).  The creative process by Graham Wallis from the preparation of the task at hand, to the final product, uses a wide range of different parts of someone’s brain, different cognitive processes.  There are 4 different stages, preparation, incubation, illumination and verification.  Preparation relies on the human brains ability to store the correct knowledge and then then uses this creatively. Incubation is where we step away from the situation and try to formulate and answer. Illumination is the ‘ah-ha’ moment where our brains find the answer.  The final stage is Verification, where one carries out the answer and demonstrates it through music, science or art.