Lovers' creativity sparks under stress: fNIRS hyperscanning evidence of dating couples' creative problem-solving under stress.

IF 2 4区医学 Q4 NEUROSCIENCES

Social Neuroscience Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-03-09 DOI:10.1080/17470919.2026.2638824

Jiaqi Zhang, Yifan Wang, Hanxuan Zhao, Wenjin Duan, Yuecui Kan, Ting Yang, Linden J Ball, Suqin Lin, Haijun Duan

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

In an age flooded with pressure, lovers' resilience under stress and ability to creatively solve problems are highly valued. It is hoped that stress could become the crucible that forges lovers' creative sparks. Understanding the associations among romantic love, stress and advanced cognitive functions is highly topical. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning, the current study investigated dating couples' creative problem-solving performance under the effect of acute stress and the corresponding underlying neural mechanism. Results indicated that when faced with stressful situations, couples showed higher fluency and flexibility in creative problem-solving than those under non-stressful conditions. In addition, the couples showed greater synchronization in the frontopolar region under stress, with the direction from males to females, unveiling a distinct cooperative pattern of males leading and females receiving. Furthermore, interpersonal brain synchronization (IBS) mediated the effects that both salivary cortisol and heart rate level had on dating couples' creativity. These findings provide evidence supporting an integrative view for understanding relationships under adverse conditions, highlighting the different roles played by different genders in coping with stress.

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恋人的创造力在压力下迸发：fNIRS超扫描研究情侣在压力下创造性解决问题的证据。

在这个充满压力的时代，恋人在压力下的韧性和创造性解决问题的能力受到高度重视。人们希望压力能成为锻造情侣创造性火花的熔炉。了解浪漫爱情、压力和高级认知功能之间的联系是一个热门话题。本研究利用功能性近红外光谱（fNIRS）超扫描技术，研究了约会情侣在急性应激作用下创造性解决问题的表现及其潜在的神经机制。结果表明，面对压力时，夫妻在创造性解决问题方面表现出更高的流畅性和灵活性。此外，应激条件下，情侣的额极区同步性更强，从雄向雌的方向转变，呈现出明显的雄领雌领的合作模式。此外，人际大脑同步（IBS）介导了唾液皮质醇和心率水平对约会伴侣创造力的影响。这些发现为理解不利条件下的人际关系提供了证据，强调了不同性别在应对压力方面发挥的不同作用。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Social Neuroscience 医学-神经科学

CiteScore

3.40

自引率

5.00%

发文量

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Social Neuroscience features original empirical Research Papers as well as targeted Reviews, Commentaries and Fast Track Brief Reports that examine how the brain mediates social behavior, social cognition, social interactions and relationships, group social dynamics, and related topics that deal with social/interpersonal psychology and neurobiology. Multi-paper symposia and special topic issues are organized and presented regularly as well. The goal of Social Neuroscience is to provide a place to publish empirical articles that intend to further our understanding of the neural mechanisms contributing to the development and maintenance of social behaviors, or to understanding how these mechanisms are disrupted in clinical disorders.