The theory-building paper (2020) argues that the psychedelic state may facilitate creative generation and discusses the neurocognitive states in which creative thought takes place.
Abstract of Updating the dynamic framework of thought: Creativity and psychedelics
“Contemporary investigations regard creativity as a dynamic form of cognition that involves movement between the dissociable stages of creative generation and creative evaluation. Our recently proposed Dynamic Framework of Thought (Christoff et al., 2016) offered a conceptualization of these stages in terms of an interplay between sources of constraint and variability on thought. This initial conceptualization, however, has yet to be fully explicated and given targeted discussion. Here, we refine this framework’s account of creativity by highlighting the dynamic nature of creative thought, both within and between the stages of creative generation and evaluation. In particular, we emphasize that creative generation in particular is best regarded as a product of multiple, varying mental states, rather than being a singular mental state in and of itself. We also propose that the psychedelic state is a mental state with high potential for facilitating creative generation and update the Dynamic Framework of Thought to incorporate this state. This paper seeks to highlight the dynamic nature of the neurocognitive processes underlying creative thinking and to draw attention to the potential utility of psychedelic substances as experimental tools in the neuroscience of creativity.”
Authors: Manesh Girn, Caitlin Mills, Leor Roseman, Robin L. Carhart-Harris, Kalina Christoff
Notes on Updating the dynamic framework of thought: Creativity and psychedelics
Creativity calls for divergent and convergent thinking, here put as generation and evaluation.
“… the process of arriving at a creative product requires shifting between the neurocognitively dissociable modes of creative generation and evaluation.”
On simulated annealing as the process by which creativity happens.
“That is, assuming multiple cycles of idea generation and evaluation in the creative process, it may be the case that initial iterations of generation have relatively low/broad constraints, which are progressively increased/focused in successive iterations.”
The authors also link back to the infamous REBUS paper (Carhart-Harris & Friston, 2019).
“Thus, psychedelics might facilitate the exploration of a broader search space during creative generation, which in turn leads to greater potential of discovering highly novel ideas”
Summary of Updating the dynamic framework of thought: Creativity and psychedelics
Creative thinking is a ubiquitous form of cognition that involves moving between different modes of thought. It is a dynamic process that involves shifting between the neurocognitively dissociable modes of creative generation and evaluation. The dynamic framework of thought (DFT) incorporates conceptualizations of creative generation and evaluation into a model that focuses on the competing forces of constraint and variability on thought. However, the DFT’s conception of creative thinking has yet to receive targeted discussion.
To overcome the elusiveness of inspiration, artists have been known to employ a variety of techniques, including invoking the muses, sensory deprivation, and mind-altering drugs. These substances may represent a novel means of experimentally investigating particular dimensions of creative generation.
The present paper attempts to refine the conception of creative thought proposed by Christoff et al. (2016) and incorporate the psychedelic state into the conception of creative thought.
Find this paper
Updating the dynamic framework of thought: Creativity and psychedelics
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116726
Open Access | Google Scholar | Backup | 🕊
Cite this paper (APA)
Girn, M., Mills, C., Roseman, L., Carhart-Harris, R. L., & Christoff, K. (2020). Updating the dynamic framework of thought: Creativity and psychedelics. Neuroimage, 213, 116726.