Illustration by Mat Brown
Nietzsche, Van Gogh, Tesla, Dali, and the fictional Dr. Frankenstein.We have been so inundated with examples of ‘mad geniuses’ that we’ve practically adopted an intuitive adage: creativity is a by-product of mental turmoil. Centuries of inspired mania give credence to this notion, lending creative professions their own set of stereotypes we know so well. At some level, you’ve met the emotionally unstable artist, the tortured writer and the nutty professor. And to some degree, we almost expect a little craziness from the creative and can be disappointed by, and maybe even doubt the authenticity of a ‘straight’ creator.
It must be understood before this dips into propaganda, conspiracy theories, or general misinformation that most scientists and artists do not exhibit excessively bizarre behaviour and, conversely, most madmen do not contribute creative milestones. Just because Van Gogh and Nietzsche eventually went mad doesn’t mean all artists are doomed to mental illness as a price to be paid for their creative genius. “However,” Dr. Clifford A. Pickover, author of Strange Brains and Genius (which inspired this article) finds that “a significantly large number of established artists have mood disorders such as bipolar disorder. In fact, it appears that both major depression and bipolar disorder can sometimes enhance the creativity of some people. So while we cannot say that the neurotic behaviour of some great scientists causes their greatness, it likely plays a role.”
Dr. Pickover cites Professor Kay Redfield Jamison’s article Manic-Depressive Illness and Creativity(February 1995, Scientific American), where she clearly demonstrates that established artists have a significantly high incidence of bipolar disorder (manic depression) or major depression. Bipolar disorder is a genetic disease where patients oscillate between depression and hyperactive euphoria. Established artists and writers experience up to 18 times the rate of suicide seen in the general population, 10 times the rate of depression, and 10-20 times the rate of bipolar disorder. During periods of mania, patients have sharpened and unusually creative thinking, increased productivity, original thinking, expansive thoughts, and grandiose moods. They can overcome writing blocks, generate new ideas, and have better performances. People with bipolar disorder rhyme more often and use alliteration more often than unaffected individuals. They also use idiosyncratic words three times as often as control subjects and can list synonyms more rapidly than normal. As with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) some patients with bipolar disorder stop taking their medications because the drugs can dampen their emotional and perceptual range as well as their general intellect.
Which brings us to a pointed question; do such mental imbalances actually convey creative advantages? Does mania sort of kickstart certain nether regions of the mind, making it race feverishly through worlds of possibility usually restricted during sobriety? If so, then perhaps the pharmaceuticals that are being administered in particularly massive quantities today are preventing potential creative breakthroughs. Though it must be noted that severe mental illness could only serve to interfere with creativity, it is a wonder on how our present culture’s increased streamline for ‘compulsory normalcy’ would approach necessary past eccentrics. Would treatments for Nikola Tesla’s visual and auditory hallucinations also have alleviated civilization of alternating current (AC) power transmission, effectively idling the wheels of industry? Would Salvador Dali be recommended for hospitalization for some of his artworld pranks? “Victorian age people almost showed an affection towards eccentrics,” says Pickover, “On the other hand, today, people who behave like those I discuss in Strange Brains and Geniusare homeless derelicts.”
And today a full list of psychological diagnoses are ready to label any presentation of such strange behaviours. What is most ironic is that these disorders could be conceived as advantageous. For instance, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder could be attributed to many great thinkers throughout history. Obsession is mind possession - one thought dictating full attention, and it is unforgiving. To be bombarded by one set of thoughts constantly could certainly create enough drive to get to the bottom of the obsession. So one could easily see how a scientist might use their OCD to follow a hypothesis through relentlessly. Those who are truly obsessed will relate everything that comes their way back to their obsession, which could conceivably be the path to making some brilliant associations, or to note some relevant patterns.
Over-compensation usually stems from the eccentric perceiving themselves as a slightly different breed that does not quite fit in with ‘ordinary’ society. So they are forced to constantly struggle with a sense of ‘otherness,’ and often devote their time and energy to constant creative activity. Their work often bears a personal mark and it is through their work they seek to prove themselves. Such personalities are often found to have excessively self-referential writing and tend to possess an urge to dominate their chosen field. Their longed-for sense of self-importance is perhaps needed to balance feelings of social awkwardness.
A psychological ‘unease’ is also reputed to accompany many a great thinker. This trait keeps them constantly on edge, away from stagnant comfort zones, and serves as a source of creative tension. It is like a spur in the side, or a nagging mental check ensuring constant creative production. This may be directly derived from an overall sense of urgency that is associated with many prolific creators. They exhibit an increased sensibility to their physical vulnerability and become bent on creating works of greatness as an approach to immortality.
It really could just come down to the idea that the creative arts attract people with manic tendencies due to its overall ambiguity and flexibility which could certainly be assumed to tolerate wanton minds. Or maybe these geniuses are nothing more than magnificent marketing wizards who know that, more than anything, the public longs for the remarkable, so cultivating eccentricity may be a profitable path to some desired attention.
A psychological ‘unease’ is also reputed to accompany many a great thinker. This trait keeps them constantly on edge, away from stagnant comfort zones, and serves as a source of creative tension. It is like a spur in the side, or a nagging mental check ensuring constant creative production. This may be directly derived from an overall sense of urgency that is associated with many prolific creators. They exhibit an increased sensibility to their physical vulnerability and become bent on creating works of greatness as an approach to immortality.
It really could just come down to the idea that the creative arts attract people with manic tendencies due to its overall ambiguity and flexibility which could certainly be assumed to tolerate wanton minds. Or maybe these geniuses are nothing more than magnificent marketing wizards who know that, more than anything, the public longs for the remarkable, so cultivating eccentricity may be a profitable path to some desired attention.
As with everything, madness and its relation to genius is a matter of perspective. Sorry for the cop-out, but it’s true. If past centuries were to hear us speak, they would surely think us mad (our own parents probably already do). And I may stand alone in my perception of Ol’ Dirty Bastard as a genius. So I’d have to class madness and genius as imprecise perspectives. We may think Nikola Tesla’s love of a pigeon as a clear case of lunacy until one day walking along you suddenly fall deeply in love with some random aspect of nature and truly sympathize.
_Rob McNeil
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