The neural basis of coping strategies for boredom and their association with creativity

Abstract

Coping with boredom has long been a challenge for humans, and understanding the mechanisms and individual differences underlying this process may lead to significant advances in the field of education. While psychological studies have highlighted the importance of boredom coping and its potential link to creativity, the underlying neural mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the neural correlates of boredom coping strategies and their association with creativity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Forty-six healthy, right-handed undergraduate and graduate students without any psychiatric or neurological history participated in the study. Based on previous research, we hypothesized two coping strategies for boredom: externally-oriented behavioral coping (BC) and internally-oriented cognitive coping (CC). Participants performed a picture-viewing task designed to engage the two coping strategies. Individual creativity was assessed using the S-A creativity test and correlated with neural activity during the coping phases, in particular during CC phases. Data from 45 participants were analyzed, revealing neural regions associated with the two coping strategies. CC was significantly associated with the bilateral middle temporal gyrus, the right insula, the right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, the bilateral ACC/vmPFC, the right precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and the right angular gyrus (AG). Furthermore, neural activation related to CC was positively correlated with individual differences in creativity (as measured by the S-A creativity test), supporting the link between CC and creative abilities. Region of interest analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between the S-A creativity index and CC-activated clusters in the bilateral PCC and the right AG. On the other hand, whole-brain correlation analysis demonstrated a significant positive correlation between the S-A creativity index and CC estimates in the right superior temporal gyrus / superior temporal sulcus / insula. These findings provide valuable insights into the neural origins of individual differences in learners' resilience to boredom.