Divergent thinking taps into brain networks involved in mental flexibility, specifically areas of the prefrontal cortex that generate multiple options.

“Divergent thinking largely taps into the networks of the brain that are involved in mental flexibility. So this is a different aspect of our prefrontal cortex, which is not based on executive function and our ability to reduce options but rather areas of the prefrontal cortex that are available to generate multiple options and actually suppress context to forget that pens are just for writing, for instance, and that pens can do other things like hold a door open.”