4.3. Limitations and future directions
The limitations of the current research should also be addressed. First,
the co-activation patterns of the HPA and SAM axis cannot be overlooked.
Future research should examine SAM-HPA co-activation throughout both the
reactivity and recovery phases of the stress response after acute stress
exposure. Second, the difference in stress-induced arousal may also be
affected by individual differences such as chronic stress level,
cortisol stress response pattern and creativity level (Heilman et al,
2003; Knauft et al., 2021).
Individual differences exist the way
that the effects of stress on creativity are modulated through different
neurotransmitters and hormonal baselines (Chermahini & Hommel, 2012;
Howells et al., 2012). Thus, further exploration is needed to
incorporate individual differences in participants to better understand
the regulating effect of individual baselines between stress-induced
arousal and creativity. Third, although our sample size was limited, our
statistical analysis yielded appropriate statistical power. Nonetheless,
future studies might investigate the stress effect on creative
processing by expanding the sample size.