The study aimed to understand if the brains of highly creative people (like top artists, inventors, writers, etc.) functioned differently from the brains of highly intelligent people who aren't necessarily standout creators.
They used a type of brain scan called a resting blood oxygen level–dependent (or rsBOLD) MRI. This scan measures the connections between different parts of the brain when a person is relaxing. They also took detailed images of the brain's structure.
They had two groups:
1. Highly creative people from various fields.
2. A control group of intelligent individuals who were similar in age and education but weren't necessarily standout creators.
What did they find?
The brain scans showed that the connections between different brain parts were stronger in the highly creative people, especially in areas known for aiding creativity.
For instance:
1. There was better communication between the left and right sides of their brain.
2. There was stronger connectivity in the front part of the brain (which often handles tasks like planning, reasoning, and decision-making) and the back of the brain (which can handle tasks like movement and sensing).
However, in some other brain areas, the highly creative people had fewer connections compared to the control group.
The brains of exceptionally creative individuals seem to be "wired" differently in specific regions compared to others. This could explain why some people are extraordinarily creative.
Source
(2023) Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reveals Differences in Large-Scale Network Interactions Between Eminent and Non-Eminent Thinkers, Creativity Research Journal, DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2023.2200617