More on Creativity cont. 1  - Cognitive Flexibility (flexible thinking)

It is
"...the ability to switch between ideas, change your operating style and behaviour, shift how you learn and adapt in decision-making......we can be more adaptive and creative in how we approach the solving of problems..."
Michelle Gibbings, 2022c

It is an important part of creativity, ie
"...the ability to think of new ideas, make novel connections between ideas, and make new inventions......it is largely independent of IQ..."
Barbara Sahakian et al, 2021

For example, many visual artists may be of average intelligence (IQ), but are highly creative and have produced masterpieces. Also, it has been found
"...entrepreneurs who create multiple companies are more cognitively flexible than managers of a similar age and IQ..."
Barbara Sahakian et al, 2021

Cognitive flexibility leads to better

- cold cognition (non-emotional or rational thinking) throughout your life

- reading ability and school performance

- handling of cognitive biases, like confirmation bias (this is because they are better able to recognise potential faults in themselves and develop strategies  to handle them)

- resilience to handle negative life events

- quality of life in older individuals

- emotional intelligence like ability to understand the emotions, thoughts and intentions of others

- social interaction and communications.

The opposite of cognitive flexibility is cognitive rigidity. This is found in a number of mental health disorders like
"...obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, autism spectrum disorder..."
Barbara Sahakian et al, 2021

Research has shown that cognitive flexibility is dependent on a network of frontal and 'striatal' brain regions.
"...frontal regions are associated with higher cognitive processes such as decision-making and problem-solving. The striatal regions are instead linked with motivation..."
Barbara Sahakian et al, 2021

You can develop cognitive flexibility by using techniques like cognitive behavioural therapy; it helps people change their patterns of thoughts and behaviours.

Cognitive flexibility is linked with structural learning. The latter is
"...The ability to extract information about the structure of a complex environment and decipher initially incomprehensible streams of sensory information......this type of learning involves similar frontal and striatal brain regions..."
Barbara Sahakian et al, 2021

Summary

"... Cognitive flexibility is essential for society to flourish. It can help maximise the potential of individuals to create innovative ideas and creative inventions. Ultimately, we need to solve the big challenges of today..."
Barbara Sahakian et al, 2021