The Role of REM Sleep in Creativity

Abstract

The original study done by Carlsson et al. (2019) examined rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and its effects on creativity in college students after daytime naps or rest. This study of REM on creativity is important for students to be able to problem solve. Sleep data was recorded on smart watches worn by participants to measure total sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep. We hoped to see whether more REM sleep affected levels of creativity. Participants were asked to take 2 randomized creativity tests, including the Remote Associates Test (RAT) and an Alternate Use Test (AUT). Twenty participants each had fifteen minutes to complete the RAT test, and three minutes to complete the AUT test. Our hypothesis was that high amounts of REM sleep would positively correlate with high amounts of creativity. Participants randomly assigned to RAT A (difficult) had lower scores than those randomly assigned to RAT B (easy), while participants randomly assigned to AUT A (easy) had higher scores than those randomly assigned to AUT B (difficult). The results showed that with less REM sleep, higher levels of creativity were exhibited on the AUTs, but no significant effects were shown for RATs.