ذهن خسته، ایده های خسته؟ بررسی بی خوابی و خلاقیت

Do tired minds have tired ideas? In two studies, we explored the role of insomnia and personality in divergent thinking, everyday creative behavior, and creative achievement. Using a well-validated measure of insomnia—the Bergen Insomnia Scale—the present work explored the differential effects of nighttime and daytime insomnia symptoms. Structural equation models found a moderate effect of a global insomnia factor on divergent thinking (β = .19). Further analysis showed time-of-day effects: nighttime sleep disturbances positively predicted divergent thinking more strongly (β = .15) than daytime disturbances (β = .03). A similar pattern emerged regarding everyday creative behavior: nighttime impairments showed a positive effect (β = .15) and daytime impairments showed a negative effect (β = −.15). Global insomnia and the time-of-day variables had small and negative effects on creative achievement. The present research highlights the importance of taking a nuanced approach to the study of insomnia and creativity.

Folk theories of creativity often characterize the creative person as someone who struggles with an uncontrolled mind: the manic artist frantically working through the night is a common image (Weisberg, 2006). Yet empirical research on the association between sleep disturbances and creativity is limited and conflicting. The small literature focuses on divergent thinking—a measure of general creative ability—so it remains unclear how insomnia predicts real-world creative behaviors and achievements. In the present research, we sought to reconcile and extend the literature on insomnia and creativity using a well-validated measure of insomnia symptoms (Pallesen, Bjorvatn, Nordhus, Sivertsen, & Hjørnevik, 2008) and a well-rounded approach to the assessment of creativity.