Tal Ivancovsky

Background: Expectations have an important impact on emotion‐pain interactions. Previous studies have primarily focused on the influence of pain‐related expectations on perceived pain intensity. However, expectations regarding negative‐valence information more broadly may impact perception beyond pain and be altered when pain becomes chronic. The current study aimed to investigate whether patients with chronic pain exhibit alterations in social–emotional expectations beyond pain perception. Methods: Thirty‐five adults with chronic pain, recruited at the Pain Unit of Hospital del Mar in Barcelona (three excluded prior to analysis; final n = 32) and 35 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls performed a social perception task designed to elicit expectations about facial expressions and assess their impact on social evaluation. Facial expressions were either stereotypically congruent with the evoked emotion (matched trials) or stereotypically associated with a different emotion category (non‐matched trials). Expectations (predictability ratings) and social evaluation (likability ratings) were measured. Results: Selective alterations were observed for pain interference and intensity. Pain interference was associated with reduced differentiation of predictability ratings between matched and non‐matched trials, suggesting less stereotypical emotion expectations. In contrast, pain intensity (and chronic pain condition itself) was associated with a stronger relationship between predictability and likability ratings, suggesting a greater reliance on predictability during social evaluation. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that chronic pain may be associated with alterations in social–emotional expectations and in their relationship with social evaluation, potentially influencing not only pain perception but also affective and interpersonal functioning. Significance Statement: This study suggests that chronic pain is associated with alterations in social–emotional expectations beyond nociception. Individuals with chronic pain showed a stronger relationship between predictability and likability ratings. In contrast, higher pain interference was associated with smaller differences in predictability ratings between stereotypically matched and non‐matched emotional cues. These associations may help illuminate cognitive–emotional factors linked to the emotional and interpersonal difficulties commonly observed in chronic pain.

In our target article, we proposed that curiosity and creativity are both manifestations of the same novelty-seeking process. We received 29 commentaries from diverse disciplines that add insights to our initial proposal. These commentaries ultimately expanded and supplemented our model. Here we draw attention to five central practical and theoretical issues that were raised by the commentators: (1) The complex construct of novelty and associated concepts; (2) the underlying subsystems and possible mechanisms; (3) the different pathways and subtypes of curiosity and creativity; (4) creativity and curiosity “in the wild”; (5) the possible link(s) between creativity and curiosity.

Curiosity and creativity are central pillars of human growth and invention. Although they have been studied extensively in isolation, the relationship between them has not yet been established. We propose that both curiosity and creativity emanate from the same mechanism of novelty seeking. We first present a synthesis showing that curiosity and creativity are affected similarly by a number of key cognitive faculties such as memory, cognitive control, attention, and reward. We then review empirical evidence from neuroscience research, indicating that the same brain regions are involved in both curiosity and creativity, focusing on the interplay between three major brain networks: the default mode network, the salience network, and the executive control network. After substantiating the link between curiosity and creativity, we propose a novelty-seeking model (NSM) that underlies them and suggests that the manifestation of the NSM is governed by one's state of mind.

Conflicts between groups are difficult to resolve, partly because humans tend to be biased in judging outgroup members. The aim of the current article is to review findings on the link between creativity and conflict-related biases and to offer a model that views creative cognition as an ability that may contribute to overcoming conflict-related biases. Our proposed model conforms to the twofold model of creativity. According to this model, creativity involves a generation phase and an evaluation phase, and these phases correspond to the neural mechanisms that underlie conflict-related biases. Specifically, we contend that the generation phase of creativity affects conflict-related biases by exerting an influence on stereotypes and prejudice, outgroup-targeted emotions, and ingroup empathy biases, all of which rely on the default mode network. Conversely, the evaluation phase of creativity, which is usually associated with activation in the executive control network and action-observation system, may be related to herding behaviors. Building on the shared mechanisms of creativity and conflicts, we propose that studies examining creativity-based interventions may be effective in promoting reconciliation.

Creativity is a multifaceted construct, yet traditionally measured as divergent thinking (DT) with originality as its main focus. As originality tends to be discouraged in East Asian cultures, this measurement discrepancy is especially problematic in cross‐cultural studies. Given cultural variations in the centrality of context, in the current study we added two context‐dependent dimensions to frequently used DT tasks: a holism dimension to Torrance repeated circles subscale and a usefulness dimension to the Alternates Uses Task (AUT). In Study 1, South Korean and Israeli students completed the Torrance subscale. As hypothesized, while Israelis evinced higher DT ability, Koreans demonstrated a holistic approach. In Study 2, Japanese and Israeli students completed the AUT. Once again, Israelis evinced higher DT ability. Although no significant difference was found on the usefulness dimension, within‐culture analysis indicated that relative to the DT dimensions (originality, flexibility, fluency), usefulness was the highest score among Japanese and the lowest among Israelis. Furthermore, in both studies the “Eastern” dimensions loaded on a separate factor than the DT dimensions, implying that they might represent distinct facets of creativity. We propose that adopting a multifaceted approach, offers a unique opportunity for understanding creativity in general and in a cross‐cultural context in particular.

Whereas Western individualistic cultures emphasize uniqueness, collectivistic East‐Asian cultures discourage it. Here we examined whether cross‐cultural differences in creativity as measured by a task of divergent thinking (DT) are explained by enhanced activity in brain regions that mediate inhibitory control (e.g., the left inferior frontal gyrus [L‐IFG]). We therefore predicted that the L‐IFG would be “hyperactive” among individuals from East‐Asian cultures compared to Western ones. In Study 1, Israeli and South Korean participants were compared on a classic DT task (AUT; “Alternate uses: Manual of instructions and interpretation”). Israelis generated more original ideas compared to South Koreans. In Study 2, Israeli participants and South Korean participants currently living in Israel were scanned while performing the AUT. In line with previous studies, the results indicate that generation of original ideas across cultures is associated with activation of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), which is part of the default mode network (DMN). As hypothesized, South Koreans showed enhanced activation of the L‐IFG compared to Israelis. This enhanced activation was associated with lower originality scores. The cultural dimension of traditionalism, being higher in the South Korean sample than in the Israeli Sample, was related to enhance L‐IFG activity, further supporting our hypothesis regarding cultural influences on inhibitory control. Furthermore, functional connectivity analysis indicated that activation of the L‐IFG was positively coupled with PCC activity among Israelis and with preSMA activity among South Koreans. The results suggest that cross‐cultural differences in creativity might be explained by variations in inhibitory control.

Although evidence points to the existence of cultural differences in creativity, the mechanisms that underlie these differences are largely unknown. The twofold model of creativity posits two recursive stages: a generation phase and an evaluation phase. Considering that recent studies suggest that the left inferior frontal gyrus) L-IFG(may inhibit creativity during the evaluation phase, we hypothesized that manipulating IFG activity would affect participants’ level of creativity. We further predicted that the IFG may be “hyperactive” in a culture that typically discourages uniqueness (e.g., Japan) as compared to a Western culture (e.g., Israel); therefore the effect of inhibiting the L-IFG was expected to be higher in Japanese. To support this hypothesis we altered L-IFG activation using tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation) in 30 Japanese and 30 Israeli participants and examined the effect of anodal and cathodal stimulation on divergent thinking (DT). Regardless of culture, cathodal stimulation increased creativity compared to sham, while anodal stimulation diminished creativity. Although cultural differences were found in DT scores, stimulation had no differential effect between the cultures. Taken together, the results confirm that the L-IFG plays a key role in creativity across cultures. The null findings regarding the expected interaction between stimulation and culture are discussed.