Creative thinking may feel totally original, but a new study suggests that imagination has more to do with your memory than you might think.
A new study suggests that people who remember small, seemingly unimportant details are actually better at coming up with creative ideas.
“This means that creative thinkers view and interpret our world differently,” Dr Felix Chan, an assistant professor at the University of Birmingham, told BBC Science Focus. Chan was not involved in this research.
“They may experience the same plot but remember elements that most people would discount as not important.”
The research had 220 volunteers listen to one of four audio stories, ranging from a Hitchcock thriller to true crime, romance and fantasy. While they listened, the scientists recorded the participants’ brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machines.
Afterwards, the participants were asked to recall the story and then come up with their own alternate endings. These endings were judged on their creativity by four independent individuals who were trained in creative storytelling.
In the end, the scientists found that certain participants – those who were better able to remember details about the story that were not central to the plot – were also rated more highly for their original and creative new story endings.
The brain scans backed this up. Especially creative thinkers showed unique activity in a part of the brain tied to emotion (the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex). They also had strong, sustained activity in the hippocampus – the brain’s memory hub – especially during less important parts of the story.
The scientists said this could mean creativity is built on reshaping memories, suggesting that new ideas are built on old recollections.
“This is a very creative study about being creative,” concluded Chan. “The researchers wanted to understand how our brain generates original thoughts – essentially, what in the brain gives us imagination.”
Read more:
- Scientists can predict how creative you are based on your instincts and your tastes, says new study
- What happens in your brain when you make a memory?
- The new science of memory: how to improve yours, and the great myth of photographic memories
About our expert
Dr Felix Chan is a neuroscientist by training with a specialism in understanding brain activity and function. His particular specialty is understanding what gives our brain energy and how this translates to brain activity and function – literally understanding ‘food for thought’. His current role is Assistant Professor in Pharmacology at the Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Sciences, University of Birmingham.
