An Empirical Approach to Analyzing the Effects of Stress on Individual Creativity in Business Problem-Solving: Emphasis on the Electrocardiogram, Electroencephalogram Methodology

Abstract

In this study, experiments were conducted on 30 subjects by means of electrocardiogram (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) methodologies as well as a money game to examine the effects of stress on creativity in business problem-solving. The study explained the relationship between creativity and human physiological response using the biopsychosocial model of challenge and threat. The subjects were asked to perform a cognitive mapping task. Based on the brain wave theory, we identified the types of brain waves and locations of brain activities that occurred during the creative problem-solving process in a business environment and studied the effects of stress on creativity. The results of the experiments showed significant differences in creativity in business problem-solving depending on whether or not stress was triggered. Differences were found in the time domain (SDNN, RMSSD) and frequency domain (HF, LF/HF ratio) of heart rates, a physiological stress indicator, between the stress group and the no-stress group. A brain wave analysis confirmed that alpha waves increased in the frontal lobe of the brain during creative business problem-solving but decreased when the subjects were under stress, during which beta waves in the brain increased. This study seeks to examine creativity in business problem-solving by studying the effects of stress on human physiological response and cognitive functions in the hope of providing a new and objective interpretation of existing research results.

Be Creative to Innovate! EEG Correlates of Group Decision-Making in Managers

“…Fink and Benedek [40] showed that the alpha band is systematically activated during creative tasks: the more a task is creativity-related, such as finding original alternate solutions to a problem, the stronger is the synchronization of alpha activity. Also, alpha waves increased in the frontal lobe of the brain during creative business problem-solving but decreased under stressful conditions, during which beta waves in the brain increased [41].…”

“…Previous studies exploited the analysis of EEG frequency bands (namely, delta, theta, alpha, and beta waves), and their functional meaning according to the process of interest and their neural localization, to elucidate the role of specific cortical areas supporting the creative process [37,40,41]. For instance, in the context of creativity, an increase in the low frequency band (delta and theta band) in the frontal regions was previously associated with the process of creative insight and integration of new information coupled with an affective orientation towards satisfaction [42].…”

Machine learning-based classification analysis of knowledge worker mental stress

“…Recent studies have aimed to objectively quantify mental stress by analyzing physiological responses to stress using wearable sensors (4)(5)(6). Lee et al (4) measured Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Electroencephalogram (EEG) data while the participants played money games, and they analyzed the effects of stress on human physiological response.…”