Why are some people more creative than others?

Creativity is a human capacity that many of us would like to have but do not know how to develop. It is defined as the ability to generate new, useful and original ideas. Traditionally, it was considered an innate quality, almost a gift from nature. However, advances in cognitive neuroscience have allowed it to be studied from a more empirical approach. Thanks to science, we now know that the creative brain generates ideas through a dynamic balance between free thinking (spontaneous and unrestricted) and executive control (which helps us organise, plan and make decisions).

Why, then, do some people seem to be inherently more creative than others? According to neuroscience, we are faced with a complex phenomenon that arises from the joint participation of various brain networks, neurochemical processes and a combination of genetic and environmental influences. There is no single cause that explains why some people are more creative than others, but there are several relevant mechanisms and scientific findings.

Connectivity between brain networks

Creativity is associated with the interaction between three main networks in the brain. First, the default network is activated during daydreaming, when we use our imagination or engage in introspective thinking. It is key to the generation of spontaneous ideas and unusual associations and is related to the generation of new ideas.

Secondly, the central executive network is involved in attention control, planning and logical thinking. It helps to evaluate and select useful or viable ideas, i.e. it filters and selects the most promising ideas.

And the third network involved, the salience network, acts as a mediator between the other two. It is a kind of ‘switch’ between the two, identifying which internal or external stimuli are relevant and deciding when to switch between free thinking and executive control.

Scientific studies based on the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging have shown that creative people have greater functional connectivity between these three networks. In other words, creativity is the result of collaboration between different areas of the brain, with a balance between two important mental processes: the spontaneous emergence of ideas and cognitive control, or in other words, the ability to evaluate those ideas so that they are useful.

Therefore, a creative brain not only generates many ideas (divergent thinking), but also knows how to select the most useful ones (convergent thinking). Because of this, creative people efficiently alternate between both processes, using both the default network and the central executive network. This capacity for cognitive flexibility allows them to navigate between spontaneity and critical evaluation.

Neuroanatomy of creativity

Experts have also identified three areas of the brain involved in creative processes:

The prefrontal cortex is the ‘orchestration’ area of creative thinking, especially in tasks that require evaluating ideas, reformulating problems, or thinking flexibly. Specifically, its dorsolateral portion is activated during convergent thinking, that is, when the brain selects the best idea from among several. In turn, the medial region of the prefrontal cortex is more related to divergent and introspective thinking, in connection with the default network. Therefore, creative people show better functional regulation between the medial region of the prefrontal cortex and other brain networks, such as the default network, allowing them to alternate between free thinking and cognitive control.

The striatum is a fundamental part of the reward system and in this case is activated when a person finds a novel or valuable idea, generating a feeling of ‘revelation’. In this way, it stimulates intrinsic motivation to explore new ideas or continue creating, even without immediate external reward. It therefore facilitates the association between previous and new ideas through reward-based learning.

The mesolimbic system, rich in dopamine, is activated when a person feels pleasure in creating or discovering something new. It reinforces creative behaviour by making it emotionally satisfying. It is also linked to cognitive exploration, so people with higher mesolimbic activity tend to seek more variability and complexity in their thoughts, which is essential for creativity. In fact, functional magnetic resonance imaging studies suggest that activation of this area predicts greater creative fluency and persistence in open-ended tasks (those that allow for multiple possible responses and serve to measure creativity in experimental settings).

And how do these regions work to promote creativity? The default network generates an unexpected idea, at which point the mesolimbic system identifies it as an interesting, novel or promising idea and produces a peak of ‘novelty pleasure’. Now it is the striatum that reinforces the idea that has produced a peak of pleasure, and the prefrontal cortex analyses whether the idea, as such, is useful or needs to be modified, deciding what to do next. Creativity, therefore, is not just a matter of generating ideas, but of evaluating and refining them, enjoying the process.

Neurotransmitters in action

Brain neurochemistry also influences creativity, especially dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to motivation, pleasure and cognitive exploration. According to Ashby et al. (1999), high levels of dopamine facilitate divergent thinking, verbal fluency and cognitive flexibility, all of which are fundamental skills for creativity. Likewise, positive moods, which increase the release of dopamine, have been found to expand the range of mental associations, allowing for more original connections between seemingly unrelated ideas.

The emotional regulator is serotonin. Its role is not as well defined as that of dopamine, but by promoting emotional stability and perseverance, important factors in long-term creativity, it also participates in the creative process.

At high levels, noradrenaline promotes convergent and focused thinking, which is useful for evaluating ideas. This suggests that this neurotransmitter modulates the shift between divergent and convergent creativity, depending on the context.

Acetylcholine appears as a memory enhancer. Although its direct relationship with creativity has been less studied, its action has an impact on the formation and retrieval of memories, which is essential for connecting ideas and experiences during creativity, as it improves the fluidity of mental associations.

In summary, although dopamine is the main player in the creative process, it is not just a matter of producing it, but of having a dynamic balance between the multiple neurotransmitters responsible for free thinking, attention, motivation and critical evaluation. An excess or deficit of any of them can hinder the creative process.

Genetic factors and neurodiversity

Creativity also has a moderate genetic basis, according to studies with twins, although there is no ‘creativity gene’. Instead, certain personality traits, such as openness to experience (one of the five major personality traits in the ‘Big Five’ model), are associated with higher levels of creativity. This openness refers to a person's tendency to be intellectually curious, imaginative, open to new ideas and experiences, and interested in creativity and novelty. DeYoung and colleagues (2010) described how this trait is related to greater volume in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a key region in the integration of complex information.

On the other hand, some studies suggest a possible connection between creativity and certain forms of neurodivergence, such as bipolar disorder or ADHD. In his book Touched with Fire (1993), K. R. Jamison proposes that hypomanic states can foster intense creative output. Shelley Carson (2011), meanwhile, suggests that lower cognitive inhibition (typical in some neurodivergent profiles) allows access to atypical or less conventional ideas, which could favour creative thinking.

Environment and stimulation

While neurobiological factors are important, the environment also modulates creativity. Exposure to enriched environments, cultural diversity, new experiences, or complex challenges stimulates brain plasticity and strengthens connections that facilitate creative thinking. Creativity, in this sense, is not only a matter of predisposition, but also of ‘cognitive nutrition.’

This ability is not reserved for a select few, but is the result of a series of complex interactions between our brain, chemical processes, our genetics and the environment around us. The most creative individuals tend to show better connections between certain brain networks, have an optimal balance of neurotransmitters, possess personality traits that favour innovation and, in some cases, have neurodivergent characteristics that facilitate their ability to think differently. In addition, the environment and life experiences also play an important role in how these abilities develop.

Understanding creativity from a neuroscientific perspective is essential, not only to unravel its mysteries, but also to know how we can enhance it.