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Creativity and bipolar disorder: touched by fire or burning with questions?
Sheri L Johnson1, Greg Murray, Barbara Fredrickson
1University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. SLJohnson@berkeley.edu
Clinical Psychology Review
|November 18, 2011
Summary
Bipolar disorder is linked to creativity, but evidence needs more rigorous study. Future research should explore personality and mood factors to understand this connection better.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Biographical studies suggest a link between bipolar disorder and creative achievement.
- Quantitative research on creativity in bipolar disorder is less extensive.
- Existing theories draw from broader literature on creativity predictors.
Purpose of the Study:
- Critically review evidence linking bipolar disorder and creativity.
- Explore potential psychological and affective mechanisms.
- Propose future research directions.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of biographical and quantitative studies.
- Analysis of personality, motivational, and affective factors.
- Identification of research gaps.
Main Results:
- Biographical data suggest a strong association.
- Quantitative evidence is less conclusive and requires further investigation.
- Mechanisms linking bipolar disorder and creativity remain underexplored.
Conclusions:
- The link between bipolar disorder and creativity warrants further empirical investigation.
- Future research should focus on validated measures and potential mediating factors.
- Understanding this relationship has theoretical and clinical implications.
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