Interoceptive Attention Regulation and Creativity: Moderating Effects of Anxiety

Abstract

Although creativity is widely considered to depend on attentional function as a core component of executive control, the role of attention to internal bodily states has not yet been examined in detail. Because interoception links bodily responses with affective processes, and anxiety is known to influence creativity via disruptions in attentional function, the relationship between interoception and creativity may vary depending on task anxiety. This study investigated whether the Attention Regulation factor of interoceptive sensibility is associated with creativity and whether this association is moderated by task anxiety. In addition, to detect interoception-specific effects, we controlled for general attentional control in the regression models. A total of 208 Japanese adults were recruited, and data from 198 participants were analyzed after exclusions. Creativity was assessed using a rice variety naming task, which yields indices of creative fluency and the proportion of divergent responses. Participants also completed the Japanese version of the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-J) questionnaire as predictors, and the Effortful Control (EC) Scale as a control variable. Hierarchical models and regression analyses revealed a significant interaction between MAIA Attention Regulation and task anxiety. Specifically, among individuals with lower task anxiety, higher MAIA Attention Regulation was associated with higher fluency and a lower proportion of divergent responses (i.e., a higher proportion of convergent responses). These effects remained after controlling for general attentional control, suggesting interoception-specific effects. These findings suggest that bodily attention-related processes are an important component in understanding how anxiety modulates creative performance.