Creativity and Memory: A Dynamic Interaction

ABSTRACT Creative ideation relies on the reorganization of existing knowledge to generate novel and useful ideas.  This process enables the formation and reconstruction of complex memory structures. However, the way that creative ideation impacts memory formation remains unclear. The current research explored how creative ideas are generated, remembered and reconfigured in memory. We found that creativity facilitated better memory for self-generated novel ideas, highlighting how creativity is a neural signal for memory formation (Study 1). This indicates that facilitating people to be more creative may lead to stronger memory formation. To do so, a meta-analysis that focused on creativity enhancement through brain stimulation revealed that creativity can be subtly but reliably facilitated (Study 2).  Following, we explored how creativity reshapes memory formation under brain stimulation, finding that creativity facilitated greater integration and reorganization in memory under active stimulation (Study 3). Finally, we conducted a broader review to synthesize behavioral, cognitive, and neural approaches that can enhance creativity (Study 4). Together, these studies offer new insights into the relationship between creativity and memory—showing how creativity navigates between what we know to what we unknown.