Revealed, secret to a fertile imagination

Women are most creative after ovulation, study shows

WOMEN are more creative during the fertile stage of their monthly cycle, a study has revealed.

They came up with their most original ideas in creative thinking tasks immediately after ovulation – when they are most likely to conceive.

For the study, researchers tracked the menstrual cycles of 751 women aged 18 to 35 who were not using hormonal contraceptives. The participants were asked to complete tasks in which they were shown a picture of an ambiguous scene featuring lots of different people.

They were asked to generate as many questions as they could, trying to be as creative as possible, within five minutes.

Their ideas were then scored by independent raters.

‘The higher the probability of conception was, the more original ideas were generated,’ said the team from SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw, Poland. ‘These ideas were also more varied and included more frequent changes in perspective,’ they added.

It is thought that women evolved to be more creative during their fertile phase to help their efforts to attract a mate. Study co-author Dr Katarzyna Galasinska said this phase causes emotional, cognitive and behavioural changes.

She explained: ‘They unconsciously start to behave differently; the goal of reproduction – namely, to find the best candidate and possess his genes for offspring – is activated in them.’

Dr Galasinska said these women may be more motivated, as previous studies have found, or more willing to take risks. She said higher levels of oestrogen, the hormone that triggers egg release, are linked to higher levels of dopamine, adding: ‘Sexual hormones [oestrogen] are a kind of mood enhancer then, and a positive mood affects the flexibility of thinking. Also, women feel more courageous and powerful, so they sometimes engage in risky situations during the phase near ovulation.

‘To be creative, we have to take a risk a little bit, as creativity requires breaking through patterns and mental blocks.’

Dr Galasinska, whose study was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, said women could learn to use their cycles to their advantage.

‘During the whole time around ovulation, when the level of oestrogen increases and before it drops, our physiological processes are our allies and keep us high,’ she said. ‘Maybe this is the time to arrange the most important issues related to participation in development-oriented projects, or just to create something.’