Acute Stress Shapes Creative Cognition in Trait Anxiety.

Haijun Duan,Wenlong Xue,Zijuan Wang,Yuecui Kan,Weiping Hu,Xuewei Wang,Fengqing Zhang

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01517

Haijun Duan, Wenlong Xue + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01517

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Abstract

This study examined the cognitive mechanism underlying acute stress in creative cognition among individuals with high and low trait anxiety. Specifically, cognitive inhibition was assessed using the flanker task during acute stress. Fifty-two participants (26 with high trait anxiety, 26 with low trait anxiety, with a mean age of 18.94 years) underwent stress induction via the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). They all completed the Alternative Uses Test (AUT) and the Remote Associates Test (RAT) before and after the TSST. Biochemical markers (salivary cortisol and salivary alpha amylase) were recorded at regular intervals. The results showed that cognitive inhibition was influenced by trait anxiety and acute stress. In low-trait anxious individuals after experiencing acute stress, there was a lack of cognitive inhibition and they performed better in AUT (fluency), compared to before experiencing acute stress, whereas high-trait anxious individuals showed a decreased interference effect and reduced performance in AUT (fluency, flexibility, and originality). In the RAT, there were shorter response times and increased accuracy after acute stress in both high- and low-trait anxiety groups. Thus, we suggest that cognitive control, which modulates changes in acute stress, influences creative cognition. These findings provide evidence that inhibition control mediates the effect of stress on the creativity of individuals with different trait anxiety.

Highlights

IntroductionPeople have the ability to exert cognitive control over creativity (Beaty et al, 2014; Kenett et al, 2018)
Creativity has long been of great interest in a wide range of fields
The results showed that cognitive inhibition was influenced by trait anxiety and acute stress

Summary

Introduction

People have the ability to exert cognitive control over creativity (Beaty et al, 2014; Kenett et al, 2018). According to controlled-attention theory, creative production depends on individuals’ ability to exert control over their attention and cognition (Gilhooly et al, 2007; Beaty et al, 2016). The activity of the SNS and HPA can be measured by salivary alpha amylase (sAA) and salivary cortisol (sC), Stress, Creativity, and Anxiety respectively (Kirschbaum and Hellhammer, 1989; Foley and Kirschbaum, 2010). It is vital that individuals have the ability to exert cognitive control in the face of stress—not doing so may cause stress to impair functioning (Erskine et al, 2007), causing serious distress and mental impairment (McNally, 2006; Qureshi et al, 2011; Cisler and Olatunji, 2012)

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