What Neuroscience Says About The
Link Between Creativity And Madness
Eric Jaffe
NEW RESEARCH SHEDS MORE LIGHT ON THE STRONG TIES BETWEEN AN
ORIGINAL MIND AND A TROUBLED ONE.
The idea that very creative people are also a little crazy has
been around since humanity’s earliest days. In ancient Greece,
Plato noted the eccentricities of poets and playwrights, and
Aristotle saw that some creative types were also depressives.
In modern times, that connection has persisted, from Robert
Schumann hearing voices guide his music to Sylvia Plath
sticking her head in an oven to Van Gogh cutting off his ear
to Michael Jackson … being Michael Jackson.
Today the link between creativity and mental illness is firmly
embedded in the public conscience. Unlike some supposed
cultural wisdoms, however, there’s a good bit of scientific
evidence behind this one. Behavioral and brain researchers
have found a number of strong if indirect ties between an
original mind and a troubled one (many summarized in
a recent post by psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman at his
Scientific American blog).