Debunking Myths About Creativity and the Brain

             “A common challenge to the effective realization of creativity is knowing too little about it,” say Mathias Benedek (University of Graz, Austria) and 11 colleagues in this article in Personality and Individual Differences, “but it may be even worse when we assume to know but are wrong.” Demystifying creativity really matters, say the authors, because it’s actually the “extraordinary result of ordinary processes.” As long as educators and families cling to common misconceptions, fostering creativity will be stymied. 

            Benedek et al. conducted an online survey of 1,261 adults in six countries (Austria, China, Georgia, Germany, Poland, and the U.S.) to identify widely held myths about creativity that span continents and cultures. The researchers found that the myths were most often held by people with a lower level of education who relied on undependable sources and were willing to accept questionable notions based on the opinions of others. 

            Here are the myths about creativity that emerged from the study, believed on average by 50 percent of the survey respondents, followed by neuromyths – misconceptions about the human brain. The researchers then present evidence-based facts about creativity and the brain. (All these are quoted verbatim.) 

• Myth #1 - Creativity cannot be measured. 
• Myth #2 – Creativity is essentially the same as art. 
• Myth #3 – Creative ideas are naturally a good thing. 
• Myth #4 – Most people would not be able to distinguish abstract art from abstract children’s drawings. 
• Myth #5 – Creative accomplishments are usually the result of sudden inspiration. 
• Myth #6 – Creative thinking mostly happens in the right hemisphere of the brain. 
• Myth #7 – Creativity tends to be a solitary activity. 
• Myth #8 – Creativity is a rare gift. 
• Myth #9 – People have a certain amount of creativity and cannot do much to change it (this was the least widely-held misconception, held by only 20 percent of respondents). 
• Myth #10 – Children are more creative than adults. 
• Myth #11 – Exceptional creativity is usually accompanied by mental health disorders. 
• Myth #12 – People get more creative ideas under the influence of alcohol or marijuana. 
• Myth #13 – Long-term schooling has a negative impact on the creativity of children. 
• Myth #14 – Brainstorming in a group generates more ideas than if people were thinking by themselves (this was the most widely-held misconception at 80 percent of respondents). 
• Myth #15 – One is most creative with total freedom in one’s actions. 

Neuromyths: 

• Individuals learn better when they receive information in their preferred learning style (e.g., auditory, visual, kinesthetic). 
• Short bouts of coordination exercises can improve integration of left- and right-hemispheric brain functions. 
• Children are less attentive after sugary drinks and snacks. 
• Differences in hemispheric dominance (left brain or right brain) can help to explain individual differences among learners. 
• We mostly use only 10% of our brain. 

Creativity facts: Now here are research-based creativity facts and neurofacts, knowledge of which varied widely among respondents, averaging 68 percent:

• To be considered creative, something has to be both novel and useful or appropriate. 
• Teachers appreciate the idea of creativity but not necessarily creative pupils. 
• Whether or not something is viewed as creative depends on the zeitgeist and social norms.
• Creativity is an important part of mathematical thinking. 
• Creative ideas are typically based on remembered information that is combined in new ways. 
• The first idea someone has is often not the best one. 
• Alpha activity in the brain plays an important role in creative thought. 
• Creative people are usually more open to new experiences. 
• Creative people are usually more intelligent. 
• Achieving a creative breakthrough in a domain (e.g., publishing a successful novel) typically requires at least 10 years of deliberate practice and work (this was the least-commonly known fact, at 37 percent among respondents). 
• Men and women generally do not differ in their creativity. 
• A man’s creativity increases his attractiveness to potential partners. 
• When stuck on a problem, it is helpful to continue working on it after taking a break (this was highest among respondents at 97 percent). 
• Positive moods help people get creative ideas. 
• Getting rewarded for creative performance at work increases one’s creativity. 

Neurofacts: 

• We use our brains 24 hours a day. 
• Extended cognitive training can change the shape and structure of some parts of the brain. 
• The brains of boys are generally larger than those of girls. 
• Learning occurs through modification of the brain’s neural connections. 
• Normal development of the human brain involves the birth and death of brain cells. 

            The findings, conclude Benedek et al., “highlight the need for better communication of evidence-based knowledge to enable more-effective support of creativity.” 

 “Creativity Myths: Prevalence and Correlates of Misconceptions on Creativity” by Mathias Benedek, Martin Karstendiek, Simon Ceh, Roland Grabner, Georg Krammer, Isabela Lebuda, Paul Silvia, Katherine Cotter, Yangping Li, Weiping Hu, Khatuna Martskvishvili, and James Kaufman in Personality and Individual Differences, November 2021 (Vol. 182, pp. 1-25); Benedek can be reached at mathias.benedek@uni-graz.at.

Please Note: This summary is reprinted with permission from issue #1007 of The Marshall Memo, an excellent resource for educators.