Neural investigation of idea selection during creative thinking reveals value-based mechanisms

Abstract Creative thinking enables humans to innovate and solve problems, via the generation of candidate ideas, their evaluation and the selection of the most promising one. While recent studies have demonstrated that idea evaluation relies on the assignment of subjective values (the assessment of how much one likes an idea, or valuation), the selection mechanism remains unknown. Using behavioral experiments and fMRI, we tested whether the selection step of creative thinking is driven by the same value comparison circuits that guide economic decisions. Participants performed creative idea production, rating, and choice tasks. We found behavioral evidence of value-based comparison during both isolated choice and overall creative idea production, in a manner that predicts creative abilities. Critically, we demonstrate that creative idea selection involves the brain valuation system and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex: during creative thinking, these neural circuits compare candidate idea values, mirroring economic choice. Our findings reveal that idea selection is mediated by the brain’s generic valuation system, rather than specialized creative machinery, unifying theories of decision-making and creativity.