Popular claims of a genetic link between creativity and psychosis often exaggerated

For some, the mystery that surrounds creativity is at least partially rooted in the concept of the “mad genius,” a theory that links creativity with conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Take painter Vincent Van Gogh and composer Robert Schumann; some scholars think they both had bipolar disorder, and many have used that as a justification for their unique artistic abilities.

But here’s the thing: the connection between creativity and psychosis isn’t nearly as strong as some have suggested — even when you take human genetics into account. The overlap between genetic variants that can be used to predict both creativity and schizophrenia, or creativity and bipolar disorder is actually very small. And the method that most researchers use to define creativity is sorely lacking.

To demystify the idea of the “mad genius,” we made a video that dives headfirst into the latest genetic study to link creativity with psychosis. You can also check out the full report we published on the subject right here.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: ‘Mad genius’ no more: the genetic link between creativity and psychosis is pretty weak

 

 

 

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