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.