A Brain Mechanism for Facilitation of Insight by Positive Affect

Abstract

Previous research has shown that people solve insight or creative problems better when in a positive mood (assessed or induced), although the precise mechanisms and neural substrates of this facilitation remain unclear. We assessed mood and personality variables in 79 participants before they attempted to solve problems that can be solved by either an insight or an analytic strategy. Participants higher in positive mood solved more problems, and specifically more with insight, compared with participants lower in positive mood. fMRI was performed on 27 of the participants while they solved problems. Positive mood (and to a lesser extent and in the opposite direction, anxiety) was associated with changes in brain activity during a preparatory interval preceding each solved problem; modulation of preparatory activity in several areas biased people to solve either with insight or analytically. Analyses examined whether (a) positive mood modulated activity in brain areas showing responsivity during preparation; (b) positive mood modulated activity in areas showing stronger activity for insight than noninsight trials either during preparation or solution; and (c) insight effects occurred in areas that showed mood-related effects during preparation. Across three analyses, the ACC showed sensitivity to both mood and insight, demonstrating that positive mood alters preparatory activity in ACC, biasing participants to engage in processing conducive to insight solving. This result suggests that positive mood enhances insight, at least in part, by modulating attention and cognitive control mechanisms via ACC, perhaps enhancing sensitivity to detect non-prepotent solution candidates.

Is Insight Always the Same? A Protocol Analysis of Insight in Compound Remote Associate Problems

“…Nonimmediate-insight solutions did have greater activation in the aforementioned anterior cingulate cortex and right middle temporal gyrus than noninsight solutions suggesting nonimmediateinsight may be a result of heightened activation of words more distantly connected to the problem word, in line with prior findings showing right hemisphere contributions to insight CRA problem solving (Haarmann, George, Smaliy, & Dien, 2012;Jung-Beeman et al, 2004;Kounios et al, 2006;Subramaniam et al, 2009). However, there were differences between immediate-and nonimmediate-insight solutions that have not been observed before and might be associated with restructuring.…”

“…2 (Spring 2012) in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (Jung-Beeman et al, 2004;Kounios et al, 2006;Subramaniam et al, 2009). However, without sub-categorizing insight solutions into those likely to contain and not likely to contain restructuring it is difficult to determine to what extent this activation is indicative of restructuring processes or indicative of other processes tied more to the subject "Aha!"…”

Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering

“…In contrast, here we observed a parallel recruitment of the 2 networks. Although this activation pattern differs from the pattern of results observed during many tasks and baseline conditions (1-3), it is reminiscent of the neural recruitment observed during creative thinking (60)(61)(62), where executive regions such as the dorsal ACC and default network regions such as the PCC are activated before solving problems with insight. Also, a similar parallel recruitment of executive and default regions has also been observed during naturalistic film viewing (63), which is related to immersive simulative mental experience (64).…”

“…Also, a similar parallel recruitment of executive and default regions has also been observed during naturalistic film viewing (63), which is related to immersive simulative mental experience (64). Thus, mind wandering may be part of a larger class of mental phenomena that enable executive processes to occur without diminishing the potential contribution of the default network for creative thought (60)(61)(62)65) and mental simulation (66)(67)(68). Although it may undermine our immediate goals, mind wandering may enable the parallel operation of diverse brain areas in the service of distal goals that extend beyond the current task.…”

New advances in the neural correlates of insight: A decade in review of the insightful brain

“…The insightful brain involves the cognitive and the emotional or affective brain as well as the neural connections between them. Additionally, researchers should further investigate the interaction of emotion and insight, especially the influence of emotions in insight problem solving [78,79]. Finally, a more general purpose for the study of the brain mechanisms of creative insight is to decode creative thinking.…”