Jump to content

Creativity and Madness


Recommended Posts

Hoo boy! This explains a lot!

 

Sept. 30, 2003 -- Psychologists from U of T and Harvard University have identified one of the biological bases of creativity

 

The study in the September issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology says the brains of creative people appear to be more open to incoming stimuli from the surrounding environment. Other people's brains might shut out this same information through a process called "latent inhibition" - defined as an animal's unconscious capacity to ignore stimuli that experience has shown are irrelevant to its needs. Through psychological testing, the researchers showed that creative individuals are much more likely to have low levels of latent inhibition.

"Scientists have wondered for a long time why madness and creativity seem linked," says Carson. "It appears likely that low levels of latent inhibition and exceptional flexibility in thought might predispose to mental illness under some conditions and to creative accomplishment under others."

 

for the rest:

 

http://www.newsandevents.utoronto.ca/bin5/030930b.asp

Link to post
Share on other sites
CaterpillarGirl

ahh...hmmm

 

Well, i guess I'd prefer to label myself as "latently uninhibited" as opposed to mad. Do you suppose the scientists who came up with this were being creative or exceptionally flexible?

Link to post
Share on other sites

LOL...Okay, I'm one of those eccentric "artists" and happy to admit it!

 

If it weren't for my creative outlets, I imagine I might be inclined to vent my frustrations in less productive ways...and become a danger to myself and others. :p

 

So, I suppose there might actually be some merit to those university studies. But I must say, what better way for the overly emotional to handle stress than to run into the studio, slap something together while your emotions are up and your creativity is at its peek...and then turn around and make an actual profit from it!

 

Then again, crazy people never think they're crazy, and maybe what I really need is to schedule some couch time with Midori. :o

Link to post
Share on other sites
×
×
  • Create New...