The neural signature of creativity
In 1980, Ron Davis realized that his mind was at its dyslexic worst when he was at his creative best. This key insight led him to seek out a way to control his mental state, to find a way to consciously turn his dyslexic confusion off at will.
Research scientists can now use fMRI and other brain scanning technology to develop a profile of the brain states associated with creativity. They have done this through brain scans looking at the changes in brain processes among jazz musicians and free-style rappers while improvising.
The researchers explain that during free improvisation, the artists enter a “flow” state, described as a “complete immersion in creative activity, typified by focused self-motivation, positive emotional valence and loss of self-consciousness.” Their creative gate is wide open.
Dr. Allen Braun explained, “It’s the absence of attention. When the attention system is partially offline, you can just let things fly and let things come without critiquing, monitoring or judging them. We think what we see is a relaxation of ‘executive functions’ to allow more natural de-focused attention and uncensored processes to occur.”
“It’s almost like you’re able to think faster,” added co-author Daniel Rizik-Baer. “You’re able to incorporate multiple perspectives without thinking about it.”
The studies show that during improvisation, activity in a part of the frontal lobes called the dorsolateral prefrontal region is reduced. According to Dr. Siyuan Liu, the “lateral part of the frontal cortex actually plays a role in attention, self-monitoring and other executive functions.”
In other words, the studies show that the creative process is enhanced with the suppression of activity in the part of the brain that controls attention focus.
This research provides brain scan evidence which can explain the connection Ron Davis observed between disorientation and the creative process. We might expect to find that Davis Orientation is a way of consciously activating the frontal brain region that is observed to subside during the creative mental process.
Sources:
- This is your brain on freestyle rap, by Nic Halverson. Discovery News, November 15, 2012.
- Brain scans of rappers shed light on creativity, by Daniel Cressey. Nature, November 15, 2012.
Citations:
- Neural Correlates of Lyrical Improvisation: An fMRI Study of Freestyle Rap. Siyuan Liu,Ho Ming Chow, Yisheng Xu, Michael G. Erkkinen, Katherine E. Swett, Michael W. Eagle, Daniel A. Rizik-Baer & Allen R. Braun. Scientific Reports 2, Article number: 834 doi:10.1038/srep00834. 15 November 2012
- Neural substrates of spontaneous musical performance: an FMRI study of jazz improvisation. Charles J. Limb, Allen R. Braun. PLoS One 3, e1679 (2008).
Research Updates:
- Functional network connectivity during Jazz improvisation. Victor M. Vergara, Martin Norgaard, Robyn Miller, Roger E. Beaty, Kiran Dhakal, Mukesh Dhamala & Vince D. Calhoun. Scientific Reports 11, 19036 (2021).
- Creative Cognition and Brain Network Dynamics. Roger E. Beaty, Mathias Benedek, Paul J. Silvia, Daniel L. Schacter. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Volume 20, Issue 2, Pages 87-95 (2016)
- Where do bright ideas occur in our brain? Meta-analytic evidence from neuroimaging studies of domain-specific creativity. Maddalena Boccia1, Laura Piccardi, Liana Palermo, Raffaella Nori and Massimiliano Palmiero. Frontiers in Psychology, 6:1195 (2015)
- Brain activity and connectivity during poetry composition: Toward a multidimensional model of the creative process. Siyuan Liu, Michael G. Erkkinen, Meghan L. Healey, Yisheng Xu, Katherine E. Swett, Ho Ming Chow, Allen R. Braun. Human Brain Mapping, Volume 36, Issue 9, Pages 3351-3372 (2015).
This article was first published on this blog in November, 2012. The article has been updated with references to more recently published research.
My Dyslexia is worse when I’ve not had much sleep, I’m in pain or I have a hangover!
My Dyslexia is always bad though 🙂
Creative periods for me do not co-inside with Dyslexic moments.
“find a way to consciously turn the dyslexia off at will” I don’t see any evidence for that.
The information regarding brain scans in the artical is interesting though.
– Peaks in creativity appear in my own experience tend not to co-inside with worse Dyslexia moment. More research is needed I feel –
Mat, the techniques for “turning dyslexia off at will” are described in The Gift of Dyslexia. it really does work and is quite easy to learn. I taught my son 18 years ago, just reading the script as written in the book.
Maybe the phrase “suppress dyslexia symptoms at will” would be more accurate, because that’s only one piece of the puzzle — but having the ability to recognize and turn off disorientation allows a person to study and learn more effectively.
Thanks for the article. I have developed my own hacks to compensate for my dyslexia throughout the years. I am thankful for computers. I don’t even understand how people with dyslexia functioned before computers.