Photobiomodulation research
Clarity and Creativity: Exploring Divergent Thinking
The experiment
Peña and colleagues randomly assigned 58 healthy adults to active PBM or sham stimulation. The active group received 20 minutes of 810 nm near-infrared light pulsed at 40 Hz, targeting cortical regions of the default mode network through transcranial and intranasal delivery.
What improved
Participants completed creative-thinking tests before and after stimulation. The active group scored higher than sham on verbal and visual divergent thinking, the ability to generate multiple ideas or solutions. The study did not find a corresponding improvement in convergent thinking.
Relevance to peak performance
Flexible idea generation can be relevant to adapting and problem-solving. This study examined immediate creativity-test performance; it did not directly test athletic decision-making, general mental clarity, or long-term benefits.
References
Peña J. and colleagues (2024). Enhancement of divergent creative thinking after transcranial near-infrared photobiomodulation over the default mode network. Creativity Research Journal, 36(1). DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2023.2219953.