Introduction. In this study the optimal conditions for divergent and convergent thinking were identified. Materials and Methods. Two different thinking styles were considered as two different types of creativity: divergent (measured by Alternative Used Task; Guilford, 1967) and convergent (measured by Remote Associate Task; Mednick, 1962) thinking. We studied whether individual performance in divergent and convergent thinking can be predicted by the individual spontaneous eye blink rate (EBR), a clinical marker of dopaminergic functioning. Results. The results showed a negative correlation between convergent thinking and dopamine level, and performance on divergent thinking test followed an invert U-shaped relation with an individual’s dopamine level. This result was considered as the basic idea to run a mood induction experiment. Results of a mood (either positive or negative) induction experiment show positive mood, when compared to negative mood, enhanced creative performance on divergent thinking test. Positive mood significantly improved performance in divergent thinking: flexibility of people with low dopamine level. But there is a different scenario for people with medium (or high) level of dopamine, as the benefit of positive mood was very small and not significant at all for them. Conclusion. We conclude that impact of positive mood on the performance in divergent thinking depends on an individual’s dopamine level with more benefit for people with low level of dopamine.
