Mind wandering “Ahas” versus mindful reasoning: alternative routes to creative solutions
Frontiers in Psychology June 17, 2015 Claire M. Zedelius, Jonathan W. Schooler 124 citations
The relationship between mindfulness and creativity depends on the strategy used to solve problems. Across two studies, people higher in trait mindfulness performed worse overall on creative problem-solving tasks. However, when problems were approached analytically, more mindful individuals performed better. In contrast, when problems were approached through sudden insight, mindfulness impaired performance. The findings suggest that mindfulness may hinder insight-based creativity but can benefit analytical problem-solving.