Optimizing Indoor Thermal Conditions to Enhance Creative Performance

Abstract

This study explores how thermally optimized indoor environments can support creative performance while informing energy-efficient building operations. In a controlled climate chamber, fifteen participants completed standardized divergent thinking tasks—the Alternative Uses Test (AUT) and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT)—under five thermal conditions ranging from PMV -2 to +2. Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to measure brain activity, with a focus on alpha power as a marker of cognitive engagement. Results show that a slightly warm condition (PMV +1) significantly enhanced both verbal and figural creativity, with corresponding increases in alpha synchronization across frontal, central, and parietal regions. Interestingly, peak creativity occurred not under thermally neutral or most comfortable conditions, but under those slightly outside the comfort zone, suggesting that optimal creativity can be supported without maximizing thermal comfort. These findings offer empirical evidence that targeted thermal conditions can enhance cognitive performance while allowing for more flexible temperature setpoints, thereby contributing to energy savings in buildings.

Keywords: Creative Thinking, EEG Alpha Power, Alternative Uses Test (AUT), Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), Thermal environment