How Freely Moving Mind Wandering Relates to Creativity: Behavioral and Neural Evidence

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that mind wandering during incubation phases enhances post-incubation creative performance. Recent empirical evidence, however, has highlighted a specific form of mind wandering closely related to creativity, termed freely moving mind wandering (FMMW). In this study, we examined the behavioral and neural associations between FMMW and creativity. Methods: We initially validated a questionnaire measuring FMMW by comparing its results with those from the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART). Data were collected from 1316 participants who completed resting-state fMRI scans, the FMMW questionnaire, and creative tasks. Correlation analysis and Bayes factors indicated that FMMW was associated with creative thinking (AUT). To elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying the relationship between FMMW and creativity, Hidden Markov Models (HMM) were employed to analyze the temporal dynamics of the resting-state fMRI data. Results: Our findings indicated that brain dynamics associated with FMMW involve integration within multiple networks and between networks (r = -0.11, p_FDR < 0.05). The links between brain dynamics associated with FMMW and creativity were mediated by FMMW (c' = 0.01, [-0.0181, -0.0029]). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the relationship between FMMW and creativity, offering insights into the neural mechanisms underpinning this relationship.