A meta-analysis of the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on creative thinking

Enhancing creative problem solving with neuromodulatory approaches is gaining increased interest. However, inconsistent findings of the success in such approaches emphasize the need for a comprehensive overview of the effect of using non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) on creative thinking. The current meta-analysis aimed to investigate whether creative thinking can be improved by NIBS, especially through transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). 34 studies with 97 effect sizes (N = 1574 participants, 84 in excitatory stimulation, and 13 in inhibitory stimulation) were included. Our analyses showed that excitatory NIBS had a small but positive effect on creative performance for both divergent and convergent thinking, but inhibitory NIBS showed non significant effects. For tDCS studies, there was an excitatory effect via anodal tDCS over the left dorsal prefrontal cortex, and an inhibitory effect via cathodal tDCS over the left inferior frontal gyrus on creative thinking. Our study suggests brain stimulation may hold the key to unleash creativity and also highlights issues to be addressed in future research.