How Creativity and Mental Illnesses are Linked? The Over-Worriers are Most Likely Geniuses

Psychology is only beginning to journey into the deep primordial depths of our ancient psyche. Within this realm many behaviors and traits which are seen as disorders in the modern world have a meaning and origin, they probably have their applications today too. Recently Getty gave a quote relating to creative genius being connected to anxiety and this has caused an internet storm of responses. These range from those in complete agreement to those who find the statements made to be offensive. This idea that something considered in modern society to be a disorder is also a gift or creative ability of some kind has stuck a tenuous chord with people the world over. A recent study basically states that imaginative people can also fall into the category of being worried or people who are likely to suffer from anxiety. This makes sense in many ways. An imaginative individual has the capacity to see not only the possibilities in positive terms but also can imagine everything that could go wrong! This makes them very suited to creative business endeavors. They can provide against most negative outcomes because thinking about those outcomes is probably keeping them awake at night! Some people are taking this idea further to mean that actual conditions which are technically classed as mental illnesses have as their flipside a kind of creative genius. At the very least creative individuals such as writers or musicians are capable of coming up with better original ideas than their non-anxious counterparts. A study published in NeuroImage suggested that the Precuneus in the center of the brain is more active in creative people. So this new research says overthinking worriers are probably creative geniuses. Those who ruminate and worry constantly may benefit from creative outlets to satisfy the generation of ideas going on in their minds. It also makes sense from a more basic evolutionary viewpoint. Those who perceive threat more readily are more likely to survive although they may be a little bit jittery while they are doing it. This also plays into evolution. The worrier will take extra precautions; behave in different ways that ensure their survival over that of their more happy-go-lucky contemporaries. It makes sense that this creative concern could translate into invention and survival in prehistoric times. In today’s modern world, it seems to translate into art, a way to rationalize an environment that becomes increasingly more complex and stressful for everyone, not just free-thinking creatives. Ultimately human survival is due in large part to ideas. These can stress us out, terrify us and cause anxiety disorders. However, it is possible that the origin of this so-called disorder lies in the primitive makeup that still defines much of our lives whether we wish to acknowledge it or not. There is no doubt that there are certain common human traits and characteristics such as anxiety or even panic that have some evolutionary reason and thereby some benefits. It will be interesting to see how as psychology develops the traits we appreciate and sometimes loathe in modern society could have come from much more vital origins and potentially have very important contributions to make in the future.

Via David Wolfe; References: Life Hack | Stanford