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Creative, yet not unique? Paranormal belief, but not self-rated creative thinking
- Type
- Study
- By
- Heliyon, 2022
- Journal
- Heliyon
- Source
- Heliyon ↗
- Published
- 2022
A study of how seeing patterns in random noise relates to paranormal belief and to creativity.
Published in Heliyon in 2022, this study measured apophenia against both paranormal belief and creativity, and found a more interesting pattern than the headlines usually allow: pattern-seeing tracked more with paranormal belief than with self-rated creative thinking.
That nuance matters, because the "creativity" link is often oversold. The paper complicates the tidy story that coincidence-noticing is just a sign of a creative mind, while still showing the two are related. It is a good example of the kind of careful, qualified result the field needs more of.
The meaning
It connects pattern noticing to creativity, the same thread the 2024 PLOS study pulls.
The skeptic
It also links pattern seeing to paranormal belief, which is exactly the cautionary reading: the same brain habit that feels magical can simply be a habit.
About the research
Published in Heliyon, the open-access journal from Cell Press.
Key takeaways
- Measures apophenia against both paranormal belief and creativity.
- Finds pattern-seeing tracks more with belief than with self-rated creativity.
- Adds nuance to the "creativity" link claimed elsewhere.