EEG differences as a function of creativity, stage of the creative process, and effort to be original.

Results of two experiments examining the relationship between creativity and EEG alpha wave presence are reported. In Experiment 1, it was found that more creative subjects exhibited higher alpha indices during an analogue of creative inspiration than during an analogue of creative elaboration. This pattern was not found in less creative subjects. In Experiment 2 a similar effect was found in a more controlled setting and shown to be specific to creative subjects when they are instructed to be original but not when they are given no such instructions. No consistent relationship between creativity and basal EEG alpha activity was found.