Creative minds: the links between mental illness and creativity

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/features/creative-minds-the-links-between-mental-illness-and-creativity-1678929.html

by hko • 17 years ago

35 36 17 years ago

independent.co.uk

amichail5• 17 years ago

From the article: "Scientists were the least affected, while artists and writers had increased diagnoses of psychosis."

My guess is that artists and writers are more creative than scientists due to the randomness of a flawed brain.

But obviously we can get randomness from other sources such as computers. So maybe normal brains in combination with computers can be creative too.

UncleOxidant• 17 years ago

However, it seems like doing science requires at least as much creativity as writing or painting.

amichail5• 17 years ago

There are different sorts of creativity.

Most mathematicians would probably not do very well in the open-ended creativity of writing a novel say.

One type of creativity is goal driven (e.g., prove this theorem), while the other not so much (e.g., write an interesting novel).

biohacker423• 17 years ago

My guess is that the average artists and writer is LESS creative then the average scientist. If for no other reason, then because the barrier to entry is much lower. Do you need anything besides attitude to be an artists? And science is hard and intensely creative work. And for that matter, so is engineering.

vorador5• 17 years ago

You've got an interesting vision of artists.

Don't you think that creating requires at least as much dedication as science ? After all, in art you never know that you're right, whereas in science you could verify it quite easily.

10ren2• 17 years ago

To see something that does not exist (and then create it) is surely out of touch with reality, and a form of psychosis.

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. George Bernard Shaw

timr• 17 years ago

I hate that quote. It makes "progress" seem inevitably adversarial, when in fact, most of the things that we see as "progress" in the world are evolutionary phenomena -- adaptive by nature.

10ren2• 17 years ago

I interpret the quote as applying to things I do, not to things I see; and as difficulties in general, not necessarily adversarial.

pedalpete• 17 years ago

The author states '. Evolutionary theory suggests that in order for them to be still here, there must be some kind of survival advantage to them.'

However, if this were true, wouldn't that mean illnesses like Cancer would also have a survival advantage?

bazbarfoo• 17 years ago

Well, cancer doesn't typically kill you before you're able to reproduce.

cubix• 17 years ago

Similarly, schizophrenia doesn't usually kick in until your early 20's for males, and early 30's for females, which leaves plenty of time for reproduction, especially in centuries past when we grew up faster.

Bleys• 17 years ago

Your statement makes some unsafe assumptions. Mental state has a strong effect on ability to reproduce and raise offspring. Cancer rarely has an onset early enough to be a factor in this and the traits aren't something that can be "sensed" by potential reproductive partners. Evolution is blind to debilitations that don't impact reproductive ability (this is the same reason our natural healthy lives aren't much longer, on average, than the time it takes for us to be successful grandparents).

Maybe in a few hundred years with a society that stagnated with the exception of a strong stigma being placed on reproduction with people pre-disposed to cancer you'd see a natural reduction in the traits.

davi• 17 years ago

"Disposable Soma" theory of aging: in species subject to high levels of predation or death due to other random events, it may be more adaptive to pump energy into reproducing rather than fighting cancer and otherwise maintaining the body.

http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=V5Ff8eAwO...

silentOpen2• 17 years ago

I found this claim dubious as well. It incorrectly assumes that evolution will cull 'bad' traits and reward 'good' ones. Tell me, what is the evolutionary advantage of the appendix? Fingerprints? The number of human chromosomes?

All we know is that these traits are survivable which says nothing of any advantage or disadvantage they may confer. The author (of the article and this comment) needs to understand evolution better.

zandorg• 17 years ago

Paranoia is a useful tool in business, according to Andy Grove of Intel. Don't leave anything to chance!

adrianwaj2• 17 years ago

Microsoft cultivated a culture of paranoia, I suppose that was about stomping little startups, and executing a "reach and extend" on the ones they couldn't do anything about.

adrianwaj2• 17 years ago

Speaking of creativity - contact me to brainstorm a brand name, product name, slogan or even strategy to a certain extent. No fee charged - a HN special.

Evgeny• 17 years ago

Now I have an important question. How should I properly take myself to the brink of insanity in order to boost creativity and flexibility of thought? Something to think about ...

nop• 17 years ago

Haven't a whole lot of ideas been attributed to drugs over the years? It would seem like a effective starting point for insanity with the added benefit of reverting to your sane old self when it's over. Or so I'd assume, I've never done drugs (beyond caffeine, nicotine and alike).

Creative minds: the links between mental illness and creativity

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