Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Neuroscience
  • About
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Cognitive Science

Neuroimaging study suggests smartphone addiction may reduce the capacity for creativity

by Laura Staloch
November 21, 2022
in Cognitive Science, Neuroimaging
(Photo credit: National Institute of Mental Health)

(Photo credit: National Institute of Mental Health)

Share on TwitterShare on Facebook
Stay on top of the latest psychology findings: Subscribe now!

Researchers in China investigated the consequences of smartphone addiction on creativity. Using brain imaging technology, they measured cortical responses to creative tasks. The results indicate that smartphone addiction negatively influences the brain’s creative capacity. Specifically, the brain’s prefrontal cortex and temporal areas were not as active when asked to think creatively. This was in contrast to participants who did not have a smartphone addiction.

The research has been published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.

The global pandemic and resulting isolation increased the number of people with smartphone addictions. Previous research found that those with smartphone addictions were less creative than those without. Xinyi Li and colleagues were hoping to discover what areas of the brain were responsible for this decrease in a creative capacity.

Participants were between 18 and 25 years old and were students at Shaanxi Normal University. The 48 participants were identified using the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS). Twenty-four of the participants scored high on the SAS and became the experimental group. The remaining 24 earned low scores on the SAS and made up the control condition. Participants were free of medication that may affect the nervous system and had no other behavioral addictions.

The research team intended to measure creativity using the Alternative Uses Task. This test gives individuals an everyday object and 30 seconds to name as many alternate uses of the object as possible. Phase one of the test presented a series of objects and their top two uses. Participants were to memorize these lists and be able to repeat them back.

The second phase used neuroimaging to reveal what the brain was doing while participants were responding to the Alternative Uses Task. For one-half of all participants, some of the objects that were part of the Alternative Uses Task were also part of phase one. Therefore, they had already been told and asked to remember the most common uses for the object.

Those participants who had thought creatively about objects they had previously seen in the experiment were in what the research team called the “constrained condition.” Those who were asked to think about all new objects were in the “unconstrained condition.”  Both the experimental and control groups had participants who were constrained and unconstrained. The purpose of these two conditions was to increase the difficulty of the Alternative Uses Task; participants who had prior exposure to the item’s purpose would find it more challenging to determine alternative uses.

Analyzing the data collected from the Alternative Uses Task, researchers found that those with smartphone addiction scored lower in fluency, flexibility, and originality. This was true for the constrained and unconstrained conditions. The imaging revealed that the brain’s prefrontal cortex and temporal areas were not as active in those with smartphone addiction.

The researchers concluded, “by manipulating the semantic constraints, we found that the smartphone addiction individuals exhibited reduced cortical activations and functional connectivities in the prefrontal cortex and temporal cortex, making it difficult to overcome semantic constraints and establish original associations during creative idea generation.”

The research team conceded there were some limitations to their study. They did not differentiate between different kinds of smartphone addiction. Individuals could be addicted the gaming on their phones only or on social media. These differences could have consequences for creativity and brain function. Additionally, the study only explored one component of creativity. Insight problem-solving, for example, was not assessed.

Despite these limitations, the researchers feel their study is an important addition to our knowledge of how smartphone addiction may impact cognition.

The study, “Reduced brain activity and functional connectivity during creative idea generation in individuals with smartphone addiction“, was authored by Xinyi Li, Yadan Li, Xuewei Wang, and Weiping Hu.

TweetSendScanShareSendPin22ShareShareShareShareShare

RELATED

Some dark personality traits may help buffer against depression, new psychology research suggests
Hypersexuality

Frequent pornography use linked to altered brain connectivity and impaired cognitive performance

June 17, 2025

Researchers have found that individuals who frequently view internet pornography show distinct brain activity and diminished cognitive control. The study suggests that heavy use may impact emotional processing and executive function in ways that resemble patterns seen in substance addiction.

Read moreDetails
New study connects Mediterranean diet to positive brain chemistry
Early Life Adversity and Childhood Maltreatment

Childhood trauma linked to changes in brain structure and connectivity, study finds

June 17, 2025

Adults with a history of childhood trauma show measurable differences in brain structure and function, according to new research. The study found smaller surface area and volume in specific cortical regions, along with altered patterns of functional connectivity.

Read moreDetails
Scientists uncover biological pathway that could revolutionize anxiety treatment
Cognitive Science

Different parts of the same neuron learn in different ways, study finds

June 16, 2025

Researchers have discovered that apical and basal dendrites of the same neuron use different strategies to learn, suggesting neurons adapt more flexibly than previously thought. The findings help explain how the brain fine-tunes its wiring during learning.

Read moreDetails
Poor sleep may shrink brain regions vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease, study suggests
Memory

Neuroscientists discover biological mechanism that helps the brain ignore irrelevant information

June 14, 2025

New research suggests the brain uses a learning rule at inhibitory synapses to block out distractions during memory replay. This process enables the hippocampus to prioritize useful patterns over random noise, helping build more generalizable and reliable memories.

Read moreDetails
Psilocybin appears to have a uniquely powerful relationship with nature relatedness
Neuroimaging

Psilocybin induces large-scale brain network reorganization, offering insights into the psychedelic state

June 14, 2025

A new study using high-resolution EEG reveals that psilocybin dramatically alters brain connectivity in rats. The psychedelic induced dose-dependent changes in network organization, disrupting normal patterns of neural communication and suggesting rodents may be viable models for studying altered consciousness.

Read moreDetails
Brain boost from pecans? New study finds short-term cognitive benefits
Cognitive Science

Brain boost from pecans? New study finds short-term cognitive benefits

June 12, 2025

A new study published in Nutritional Neuroscience found that a pecan-enriched shake improved memory and attention in healthy young adults. Participants performed better on 8 of 23 cognitive tests after consuming pecans compared to a calorie-matched shake.

Read moreDetails
Adversity in childhood linked to accelerated brain development
Early Life Adversity and Childhood Maltreatment

Adversity in childhood linked to accelerated brain development

June 12, 2025

New research using data from over 7,000 children suggests that adversity during late childhood accelerates brain network development. While these changes may buffer against anxiety and depression, they are also associated with poorer school performance.

Read moreDetails
Democrats dislike Republicans more than Republicans dislike Democrats, studies find
Cognitive Science

New neuroscience study reveals sex-specific brain responses to threat

June 11, 2025

A new study shows that male and female mice engage distinct brain circuits when responding to threat, challenging the assumption that similar behavior reflects identical brain function. The findings highlight the need for sex-inclusive neuroscience research.

Read moreDetails

SUBSCRIBE

Go Ad-Free! Click here to subscribe to PsyPost and support independent science journalism!

STAY CONNECTED

LATEST

Frequent pornography use linked to altered brain connectivity and impaired cognitive performance

Childhood trauma linked to changes in brain structure and connectivity, study finds

Psilocybin-assisted therapy linked to reduced depression in people with bipolar disorder, small study finds

COVID-19 coverage linked to rise in anti-Asian sentiment, especially among Trump supporters

Some dark personality traits may help buffer against depression, new psychology research suggests

Dementia risk begins in childhood, not old age, scientists warn

Millennials are abandoning organized religion. A new study provides insight into why

Sleep regularity might be protective of adolescents’ mental health, study suggests

         
       
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and Conditions
[Do not sell my information]

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy