The effects of approach and avoidance motor actions on the elements of creative insight

The authors propose that the nonaffective bodily feedback produced by arm f lexion and extension informs individuals about the processing requirements of the situation, leading to the adoption of differential processing styles and thereby influencing creativity. Specifically, the authors predicted th at arm flexion would elicit a heuristic processing strategy and bolster ins ight processes, whereas arm extension would elicit a systematic processing strategy and impair insight processes. To test these predictions, the autho rs assessed the effects of these motor actions on 3 central elements of cre ative insight: contextual set-breaking, restructuring, and mental search. A s predicted, in 6 experiments, arm flexion, relative to arm extension, faci litated insight-related processes. In a 7th experiment, arm extension, rela tive to arm flexion, facilitated analytical reasoning, supporting a cogniti ve tuning interpretation of the findings.