Electric hats could spark creativity

PASSING an electric current through the brain can help people be more creative, according to new research.

Scientists found that suppressing an area of the brain involved in thinking and reasoning helped people to “think outside the box” when trying to solve complicated problems.

While the research suggests people could one day wear an electrically charged hat to make them smarter, the scientists stressed this was not possible now and cautioned against claims by companies selling such devices.

In the study, 60 people, all right-handed and aged between 18 and 34, were asked to solve “matchstick problems” after having electricity passed through the brain area in one direction, which stimulated it, or the opposite direction, which suppressed it, or without having any electricity at all.

One of the researchers, Dr Caroline Di Bernardi Luft, of Queen Mary, University of London, said: “We solve problems by applying rules we learn from experience, and the DLPFC plays a key role in automating this process.” – The Independent