Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity

Will we be seeing you in Philly this year? 🛎️ Abstract submissions for SfNC2026: Liberty to Create close in T - 5 days!

We're looking forward to seeing our members submit an abstract for our 11th annual meeting in Philadelphia, this June 1st to 3rd.

Ready to submit? www.tsfnc.org/sfnc2026-sub...

⏰ Countdown for Abstract & Award Submissions: T - 10 days!

We invite abstracts for talks, posters, and symposia on any aspect of the neural, cognitive, and behavioral basis of creativity.

Learn more about our areas of interest and submit by 2/15: www.tsfnc.org/sfnc2026-sub...

Non-Linear Relationships Between Creativity Ratings of Musical Improvisations and Melodic Complexity Although objective, automated measures of verbal creativity have shown promise by correlating well with subjective creativity ratings, objective measures of musical creativity remain underexplored....

New open-access in CRJ! 🎶

Study of ~500 musically trained listeners finds an inverted U between melodic (Lempel–Ziv) complexity and creativity ratings. Expertise shaped judgments; openness didn’t—new implications for quantitatively measuring musical creativity.

doi.org/10.1080/1040...

🔔Deadline Extended!🔔

We have extended the submission deadline for abstracts and award nominations to February 15. We hope to see you in Philadelphia!

Submit an abstract: www.tsfnc.org/sfnc2026-sub...

Nominate for an award: www.tsfnc.org/sfnc2026-sub...

SfNC 2026: Why Philadelphia? (Besides the Cheesesteaks) 🧠

The duality of Philadelphia makes it the perfect backdrop for SfNC 2026. It's never stopped experimenting and welcomes the bold alongside the historic.

⏰ Remember abstract submissions are open until 2/1: www.tsfnc.org/sfnc2026-sub...

Reminder: Apply or Nominate someone for the 2026 SfNC Awards! Deadline - Feb. 1st ⏰

SfNC is proud to offer three annual awards recognizing outstanding contributions to creativity research. Winners receive a cash prize and are invited to present their work.

Details here: www.tsfnc.org/sfnc-awards

We are thrilled to announce our 2026 keynote speakers for SfNC Liberty to Create—leaders in the empirical study of aesthetic experience, artistic production, and appreciation.

Have you participated in a successful artist–researcher collaboration? Submit an abstract—we want to hear from you!

SfNC2026: Liberty to Create — The Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity

2026 demands a certain type of creativity - one that lives at the edges and doesn’t neatly map onto “positive” outcomes.

That is exactly what we will be exploring at SfNC 2026. Abstract submissions and awards open until February 1.

Apply here: www.tsfnc.org/sfnc2026-lib...

SfNC Awards — The Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity

2026 SfNC Award Nominations Now Open!

Nominations are now open for the 2026 SfNC Sarah A. Burgess, Young Investigator, and Dissertation awards. The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2026.

Details for each award and guidelines are available here: www.tsfnc.org/sfnc-awards

Abstract Submission Guidelines — The Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity

Exciting news: Abstract submissions for SfNC2026 are now open!

This year, we are accepting both scientific abstracts and artist presentations. We encourage our greater community to submit and join us this June.

Learn more about guidelines and requirements here: www.tsfnc.org/sfnc2026-sub...

The Causal Role of the Left Angular Gyrus in Creativity-Driven Restructuring Creative problem-solving relies on the flexible reorganization of prior knowledge to reshape complex memory structures, yet the behavioral and neural processes supporting this transformation remain...

New in CRJ: Ke Ding, Amitai Shenhav & @yoedkenett.bsky.social show the left angular gyrus plays a causal role in creative thinking. Brain stimulation boosted flexible, interconnected semantic networks during storytelling. Read the full article here: doi.org/10.1080/1040...

From Inner Sensations to Creative Innovations: Uncovering the Links Between Interoceptive Sensitivity and Creative Traits This study explored the relationship between interoceptive sensitivity (IS) – the subjective ability to perceive internal bodily sensations – and creative traits, framed within the dual-process the...

New in CRJ: A new study by Jiminez, Di Bernardi Luft, & Bhattacharya finds that higher interoceptive sensitivity is linked to idea generation, idea development and implementation, inspiration, and flexible thinking. Open Access link: doi.org/10.1080/1040...

SfNC Membership — The Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity

Over the past few years, our community has experienced remarkable growth. Did you know our membership, conference attendance, and content subscriptions have more than doubled? 🚀

So, thank you - our members make everything we do possible.

New to SfNC? Learn more: www.tsfnc.org/become-a-mem...

SfNC Awards — The Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity

It's almost time to apply or nominate someone for the 2026 SfNC Awards!

Each year, the Sarah A. Burgess Award, the Young Investigator Award, and the Dissertation Award are presented to outstanding members of our community.

Applications open on 12/15/25. Learn more here: www.tsfnc.org/sfnc-awards

Why are Philly’s murals so important? How do they compare to others kinds of art from around the globe? And how can the City better support the arts?

For today’s Philly Arts Report we talk with Anjan Chatterjee, the Director of the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics.

YouTube video by Sonorum Concentus Beethoven Beethoven Diabelli Variations Op 120 Alfred Brendel piano

And a performance of the Diabelli Variations for your Thursday morning! youtu.be/hTmQU4jEgJw?...

New in CRJ: a thoughtful exchange on Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. Brandt (2022) sees the work as an example of divergent thinking; Gittelman & Weisberg (2025) argue for a broader account emphasizing strategy and executive processes.

Brandt: doi.org/10.1080/1040...
G&W: doi.org/10.1080/1040...

We’re thrilled to announce SfNC2026: Liberty to Create

The 11th annual meeting of the Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity (SfNC) will take place June 1–3, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This year, we're letting the arts take center stage.

Learn more here: www.tsfnc.org/sfnc2026-lib...

NYAS Publications Perceiving musical creativity involves multiple neural mechanisms underlying expectation and prediction error. Using the innovative Bohlen–Pierce Sequencer—a tool requiring no musical training—we fou...

🎶 New paper 🚨: Perceiving Creativity in Novel Musical Sequences: An EEG Study.

Using a sequencer in the non-traditional Bohlen Pierce Scale, we show that perceived creativity correlates with EEG neural synchronization at the note rate and harmonics, and with sequence-level information metrics

We’re saddened by the loss of two giants in our field: Bob Bilder and Jonny Smallwood. Their work reshaped how we understand creativity, imagination, and the wandering mind. Their impact on science and on the people they mentored will continue to guide us. Our thoughts are with their loved ones. 💙

Why is it an exciting time to be a creativity researcher?

We’re asking our editorial board, starting with Creativity Research Journal editor-in-chief Adam Green.

See his thoughts below, and stay tuned for more insights and featured research: www.tandfonline.com/journals/hcr...

Welcome to the 5-Day Creativity Challenge Today, a fun way to feel less stuck.

We spy some familiar faces to the SfNC community in this week's New York Times Creativity Challenge! Check out these short daily creativity exercises to flex those divergent thinking muscles @jamesckaufman.bsky.social @z-i-pringle.bsky.social @roger-beaty.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

So grateful to @tsfnc.bsky.social for the dissertation award (handed to me by my forever mentor and pal @roger-beaty.bsky.social), for the vibrant community, and for picking me to co-chair next year's meeting in Philly! I can't wait to welcome my favorite society to celebrate all things creativity ❤️

Thank you to the organizing committee of @tsfnc.bsky.social for all their hard work setting up such an amazing conference. I am inspired by all the great (and do we dare say creative) ideas! Special shoutout to @hannahmerseal.bsky.social because we love her 💕

So well deserved, @karenchanbarrett.bsky.social !!! We'll see you soon ❤️🧠🎶

ICYMI: SfNC. 2026. Philly. See you there 😎

Finally, our award winners presented by The Roger Beaty

Closing remarks by our dear president Indre Viskontas but 1 more event. Sadly for everyone following on BlueSky, what happens on the boat stays on the boat

Ryan Joseph Slaby talks about the use of cathedral tDCS to alter visual art making

Ke Ding speaks about a stimulating the left AG using tDCS to look at memory reconfiguration in creative thinking during a story generation task