This chapter addresses the neuroscience of creativity in the context of the trends related to creativity and motivation, namely mindfulness and mind/brain/education (MBE) science. Included are neuroscience methodology, neuroscience studies, mindfulness and creativity, mindfulness and Motivation, mindfulness techniques, benefits of mindfulness in education, mindfulness versus metacognition, and MBE science.

Over the last two decades we have begun to gain some traction on the neural systems that underlie creative cognition in young adults. Specifically, neuroimaging experiments have revealed that creativity across several domains arises from the interaction of two large-scale systems in the brain: whereas the default mode network (DMN) is involved in the generation of novel ideas, the executive control network (ECN) exerts top-down regulation on the generative process to ensure the production of task-appropriate output. However, much less is known about the contributions of the DMN and the ECN – including specific structures within each network – to creative cognition at various time points throughout development. In this chapter I will review the nascent but growing cross-sectional literature on the neurological bases of creativity in the adolescent and the aging brain, which together with data from young adults provides a snapshot into the developmental bases of creativity across the lifespan. I will also outline avenues for future research in order to develop more sophisticated models of the developing creative brain, including investigations into the trajectory of change in the cerebral cortex, as well as the dynamics of synaptogenesis in relation to creativity.

Creativity has become a focal point in discussions of brain structures and processes in psychological functioning. The first part of Chapter 13 examines studies that have tried to isolate brain areas involved in creative thinking. The second section reviews research examining the link between brain structures involved in memory and those underlying imagination and other creative activities. This research provides a link between creative thinking and one component of analytic thinking, recalling information from memory. The third section examines changes in brain structure as the result of the acquisition of expertise, which links cognitive research on expertise and creativity, discussed in Chapter 6, with findings from neuroscience. The fourth section reviews research demonstrating that creative performance can be affected by brain stimulation. Theof the chapter reviews research that focuses on brain networks in creative thinking, specifically the default-mode network and the executive control network. The chapter ends by bringing the discussion full circle, examining the influence of the genius view on the neuroscience of creativity.