The influence of varying positive affect in approach-motivation intensity on creative idea generation and creative idea evaluation: an fNIRS study

Reduced brain activity and functional connectivity during creative idea generation in individuals with smartphone addiction

Since the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak, the frequency of smartphone use has surged, which has caused an increase in smartphone addiction among individuals. Smartphone addiction can impair various cognitive abilities. However, to date, the impact of smartphone addiction on creative cognition remains unclear. The current functional near-infrared spectroscopy study compared neural differences between smartphone addiction tendency (SAT) and healthy control (HC) individuals during creative idea generation. In particular, by manipulating a key component of creative cognition, that is, overcoming semantic constraints, we explored whether SAT individuals could overcome semantic constraints. Both the SAT and HC groups completed the alternate uses task (AUT) in semantic constraint and unconstraint conditions. The results indicated that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and temporal regions were less active during AUT in the SAT group than in the HC group. In the SAT group, the PFC was less active under constraint than unconstraint conditions. Moreover, both task-related and resting-state functional connectivity analyses indicated weaker coupling between the PFC and temporal regions in the SAT than in the HC group. Furthermore, the left dorsolateral PFC mediated the effect of smartphone addiction on creative performance. These findings provide unprecedented neuroimaging evidence on the negative impact of smartphone addiction on creative cognition.

Positive and negative affect facilitate creativity motivation: Findings on the effects of habitual mood and experimentally induced emotion

This research involved two investigations that examined the effects of two types of affect (i.e., mood and emotion) on creativity motivation. Study 1 examined the degree to which noninduced habitual mood impacted creativity motivation in the context of a group of junior secondary school students in Hong Kong (n = 588), while Study 2 examined the effect of the experimental manipulation of emotion induction on creativity motivation in the context of a group of undergraduate students in Hong Kong (n = 653). The Chinese version of the Creativity Motivation Scale, the International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-Short Form, and the Affect Grid were employed to assess creativity motivation, mood, and emotional states, respectively. Interesting findings were obtained. First, both studies consistently demonstrated a facilitating role of positive and negative affect in creativity motivation. Second, both studies consistently showed that the impact of positive affect on creativity motivation was stronger than that of negative affect. While previous affect-creativity research has focused predominantly on the role of affect in the cognitive components of creativity and yielded mixed results, this research adds to the literature by showing that students' motivation to engage in creativity-related behaviors can be influenced by a broad spectrum of affective experiences (i.e., positive and negative affect, stable and enduring moods, and momentary and mutable emotions). The theoretical and educational implications of the findings are highlighted.