The Neurobiology of Creativity - pt 3 Exploring realms of neuroscience,my way!

 

Hey! Do you see a tiny bulb lighting up when you get an idea? Or when you create something? I usually find myself in awe when I see a toddler lost in the wonder of a random scribble they made, and they're so proud of themselves! The gratification they feel is so pure—without even knowing what 'creativity' is! Creativity is a fascinating aspect of human life. Creativity romanticizes our life! And as a writer, I tell you, there's no way that 'creativity' comes up voluntarily. It is the most unexpected, volatile thing that happens to humans. I recently learned about people's views on creativity. Of course, there are mixed views about it, and some are underconfident. This made me think about the neuroscience behind creativity so that, by cracking the concept, we can either try enhancing the creativity we have or uncovering aspects of one we already behold!

What is Creativity?

My fetched words describe it as: "Potential to transform." Alright, three words, but they have a lot to say—I know. Individually, creativity is an experience, and it is defined differently.

Why Do We Need Creativity?

Actually, we don't 'need' creativity to survive. But creativity is a human trait that has survived human evolution. Neurologists call it 'Neural Darwinism.' So, it definitely serves a purpose—creativity within an individual keeps one in competition, maybe with the minds around, to maintain a skill within that person or with an intention to ensure the survival of that art or skill with self-competence over time.

Creativity crafts a person's every action. Creativity keeps the divine process of learning and teaching alive! For example, my creativity helps me write things for you, and you read and use your creativity to reconstruct and apply it in your lives.

Now Know What is the Neuroscience Behind Creativity

The frontal lobe of the brain—specifically, the prefrontal cortex (PFC)—is responsible for creativity and, of course, other higher-order functions. But creativity is teamwork—temporal lobe, parietal lobes, hippocampus, amygdala, and, guess what, even the cerebellum are in the team for creativity!

Neural connections are intricate, with extensive neurons synapsing with others simultaneously. Creativity is born out of such neural connections, which are built based on our inputs, environment, and real-life experiences. That is the key to creativity.

Genetics definitely shape and govern the structural development of the brain and certain core connections, but mostly, we develop neural connections based on what we feed our brains.

People we interact with, what we see, what we hear, what we like or dislike, what we eat—our daily habits and emotional interactions with our environment—all contribute. So, the only person to blame for obstructed creativity is you.

How is Creativity Born?

When something in the environment is inducive to creation, our brain fires neurons out of a feedback and sensory response. Then those neurons, especially in the PFC (prefrontal cortex) of the brain, give you a sense of creation. It recollects your potential for creation for you, and hence, the release of neurostimulants like serotonin and dopamine plays a role, making you feel 'passion' about doing that thing.

Let us take an example—if there is an artist who is induced by the environment to create art, the artist’s neurons fire, giving them recollection of their potential to paint or sketch. This invokes prior memory of them sketching or painting, which made them feel good (release of dopamine). The brain now thinks of that act as rewarding (release of dopamine + building new neural synapses), and hence, you are charged to create!

This is the neurobiology behind creation. Complex yet common and quick. Within all of us. Literally all of us.

One major principle of neurology—"Neurons that fire together, wire together"—explains how our habits also influence our creativity potential. Creativity is a higher-order function of the brain, requiring the firing of a large number of neurons in specific, vivid patterns.

That is why, even though there are many painters in the world, their paintings will not resemble or repeat artistic patterns. Socially, our creativity gives us an identity and a distinguished seat. It is very important to respect both our own creativity and that of others. Validation also builds positive neural signals, which enhance creation.

How Can We Invoke the Creativity Within, Perhaps Identify It?

It is simple—you already know what you enjoy, out of passion, and what makes you feel gratification and satisfaction. It may be art, music, reading, writing, dance, sports, martial arts, or whatever. You subconsciously know where you put in less effort yet skillfully accomplish a task.

Considering the latest generation's confusions, try everything and then decide! This sounds very old school, but it is the only way to find the spark of your ignited creativity, especially if you feel lost or think of yourself as less creative.

Another way is to challenge yourself. Challenge your ability in doing a skillful act. Then, and only then, will your brain fire neurons to find better ways to do the same thing! It gets much better over time.

Understand that creativity, in its prime form, will not be continuous. Don’t force it. It needs time for reflection. But believe—it is there within. No matter what people say about your skills, no matter that others may seem more creative than you in a specific thing, you have to thrive and work to enhance your own creativity. Develop a unique pattern in your creativity.

Skill can have competence, but creativity need not. Creativity enhances brain functions like decision-making, logical reasoning, and using the potential energy of your neurons.

Recap

 Frontal lobe: Gives uniqueness to your creativity. Shapes your imagination and helps you create.

• Temporal lobe: Recognizes speech or words you hear and conversations that make your neurons fire—necessary for thinking and creation.

• Occipital and parietal lobes: Help you visualize your stages of creation and integrate all necessary inputs from various parts of the brain.

In short, the entire brain is involved, but the ignition for creativity always comes from the PFC (Prefrontal Cortex) of your brain.

My Message

Don’t underestimate your creativity. Feed your brain with positive sensory inputs and avoid toxic ones like social media influencer content, which might give you a sense of inferiority. Instead, feed your brain with information of your interest—it will be the diet for your creativity. Read, and importantly, listen to people.

This is the best cheat code to develop better and new neural synapses, ultimately enhancing creativity! No matter what, creativity is an inbuilt superpower, but only when you acknowledge and nurture it does it build the best social arena for minds to interact.

Practice or act out your creativity—give it time without fail. And give yourself a pat for creating a masterpiece!

-Shrutika V. Patankar ©️