Editing Creativity (section)

=== Everyday imaginative thought ===
{{see also|Subjunctive|Counterfactual thinking}}

In everyday thought, people often spontaneously imagine alternatives to reality when they think "if only...".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Roese|first1=N.J.|last2=Olson|first2=J.M.|year=1995|title=What Might Have Been: The Social Psychology of Counterfactual Thinking|location=Mahwah, New Jersey|publisher=Erlbaum}}</ref> Their [[counterfactual thinking]] is viewed as an example of everyday creative processes.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Markman|editor-first1=K.|editor-last2=Klein|editor-first2=W.|editor-last3=Suhr|editor-first3=E.|year=2009|title=Handbook of mental simulation and the human imagination|location=Hove|publisher=Psychology Press}}</ref> It has been proposed that the creation of counterfactual alternatives to reality depends on cognitive processes that are similar to rational thought.<ref name="Byrne 2005">{{cite book |author-link=Ruth M. J. Byrne|last=Byrne|first=R.M.J.|year=2005 |title=The Rational Imagination: How People Create Counterfactual Alternatives to Reality |publisher=MIT Press|isbn=978-0-262-02584-3}}</ref>

Imaginative thought in everyday life can be categorized based on whether it involves perceptual or motor-related mental imagery, novel combinatorial processing, or altered psychological states. This classification aids in understanding the neural foundations and practical implications of imagination.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Abraham |first=Anna |date=2016 |title=The imaginative mind |url=https://consensus.app/papers/mind-abraham/a17b6a9e1d1e5adfa1eb8ffdeb147890/ |journal=Human Brain Mapping |volume=37 |issue=11 |pages=4197–4211 |doi=10.1002/hbm.23300|pmid=27453527 |pmc=6867574 }}</ref>

Creative thinking is a central aspect of everyday life, encompassing both controlled and undirected processes. This includes divergent thinking and stage models, highlighting the importance of extra- and meta-cognitive contributions to imaginative thought.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ramachandran |first=Vilayanur S. |title=Encyclopedia of Human Behavior |date=January 31, 2012 |edition=2nd |pages=602–605 |publisher=Academic Press |isbn=978-0-08-096180-4}}</ref>

Brain-network dynamics play a crucial role in creative cognition. The default and executive control networks in the brain cooperate during creative tasks, suggesting a complex interaction between these networks in facilitating everyday imaginative thought.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Beaty |first1=R. |last2=Benedek |first2=M. |last3=Silvia |first3=P. |last4=Schacter |first4=D. |date=2016 |title=Creative Cognition and Brain Network Dynamics |url=https://consensus.app/papers/cognition-brain-network-dynamics-beaty/7d6e8038bde9581db6f7ea6daf99981e/ |journal=Trends in Cognitive Sciences |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=87–95 |doi=10.1016/j.tics.2015.10.004|pmid=26553223 |pmc=4724474 }}</ref>