Creative Thoughts Are "Physiological Events" (SPECIAL SERIES - Part Three)

Neural Basis of Spontaneous Thought Processes

Abstract

Studies examining thought processes have focused upon the deliberate, goal-directed mental processes occurring during complex cognitive tasks. Spontaneously occurring thought processes have, on the other hand, received much less attention. Such spontaneous thought processes occur frequently when no task is present or when task demands are low. Although their existence has been recognised, their study has been difficult due to lack of direct behavioural measures. Nevertheless, a number of behavioural methods based on subjects' verbal reports have been developed. Findings derived using such behavioural methods suggest that spontaneous thought processes share common cognitive mechanisms with purposeful, task-related thought processes.

 Furthermore, evidence from neuroimaging observations is accumulating suggesting similar conclusions about the neural basis of spontaneous thought processes. These neuroimaging findings demonstrate an overlap in the pattern of activation between various cognitive tasks and rest, with a number of higher cortical regions activated in common, including visual areas, medial temporal lobe, and lateral cortical association areas. Many of these observations have, however, been based upon comparisons between rest and tasks posing relatively high cognitive demands. In contrast, here we report an fMRI study in which rest was compared to a simple left/right response task of minimal cognitive demands. 

Rest was associated with greater activation in temporopolar cortex, parahippocampus, rostrolateral prefrontal cortex, parietal and visual cortical areas. Activation of temporal lobe structures was particularly extensive and robust, suggesting that long-term memory processes may form the core of spontaneous thought. 



By considering such long-term memory processes as an essential part of thought mechanisms, it may be possible to gain better understanding into spontaneous thought phenomena that have remained unaccounted for until now!

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Waking Up the (Creative) Mind?

Sam Harris

Creativity's REAL Brain Science - Scientific American (SPECIAL SERIES - Part One)

"Things You Really Need to Understand About Creativity’s Physiology" 

SPECIAL SERIES
Part One

The Real Neuroscience of Creativity

Network 3: The Salience Network

So yea, 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, colorful, vivid, and poetic?

No.

Just no.

Stop it - Please!

Thoughtful cognitive neuroscientists such as Anna Abraham, Mark Beeman, Adam Bristol, Kalina Christoff, Andreas Fink, Jeremy Gray,Adam Green, Rex Jung, John Kounios, Hikaru Takeuchi, Oshin Vartanian, Darya Zabelina and others are on the forefront of investigating what actually happens in the brain during the creative process. And their findings are overturning conventional and overly simplistic notions surrounding the neuroscience of creativity.

The latest findings from the real neuroscience of creativity suggest that the right brain/left brain distinction does not offer us the full picture of how creativity is implemented in the brain.* Creativity does not involve a single brain region or single side of the brain.

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  How Much of Your Creativity Comes From FREE WILL? 

Sam Harris Debunks Conventional Wisdom

Pitfalls Of Creative Writers

Common Mistakes Made By Creative Writers

ByIdrees Patel

 Creative writing is a difficult art. We learn and we improve, yet we often slip up and make common mistakes. These mistakes are so common that everyone is tired of them, no one mentions them anymore. And as new writers come along, these mistakes are made again and again.

Are these mistakes really unavoidable? No, not at all. By avoiding these mistakes, your writing will be better, and you will see that by not making them, you became a better writer.

So to solve this problem I created a list of creative writing mistakes to avoid. By being conscious of the mistakes, you can be careful and not make them in your fiction, articles, reports, etc.

Don’ts of Creative Writing

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