By Ellie Weisberg, Staff Writer
One of my favorite childhood books is Oh, David! by David Shannon in which a little boy named David constantly gets himself into trouble by making messes, acting out or inciting general chaos – although never on purpose. My family liked to compare my little sister to David.
My little sister Naomi has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which sometimes causes her to act in ways that can accidentally get her into trouble, but I think it also makes her a genius. For instance, when she was four, our mom told us to go into the backyard, pick up five pieces of garbage and throw them out. Naomi innocently went into the backyard and was ready to fulfill this mission to the best of her abilities. A few minutes later, she came into the house beaming and exclaimed, “Look Mommy I picked up garbage.” My Mom audibly gasped; in Naomi’s hands was a dead rat – the “garbage” she had so diligently collected from our backyard.
People with ADHD often face a lot of negative stigma and biases. However, people fail to realize that ADHD has many positive attributes, including increased creativity. People with ADHD are recorded to have higher rates of real-life accomplishments through using their original and out of the box thinking to develop innovative ideas.
The question is what makes the thought process of those with ADHD so different? What about their cognitive functioning helps them generate such imaginative ideas?
There are some studies that link the creativity of those with ADHD to genetic factors (genes related to dopamine and serotonin). When studying the short allele variant of the serotonin transporter gene 5-HTTLPR, which is associated with low serotonin intake, it was found that those who have one or two short alleles had high levels of verbal creativity. When it came to figural creativity, those with homozygous alleles performed the highest. Variants of the gene TPH2, which causes a deficiency in the production of serotonin, have also been linked to high levels of verbal and figural creativity. However, researchers are skeptical of this theory because the links between genetics and ADHD is a complicated field of research, and these genes have not been sufficiently linked to ADHD.
The area that scientists really focus on is the concept of divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is a non-linear way of thinking that leads to new connections of concepts and a larger frequency of ideas. In a study conducted by Christa L. Taylor, researchers conducted an experiment that tested the connection between components of divergent thinking (fluency, originality and resistance to closure) and symptoms of ADHD (activation, affect, effort, attention). It was found that there was a positive correlation between complications of activation (organizing, starting and prioritizing tasks) and originality. There are two possible explanations for this correlation. First, the more disorganized an individual’s thoughts are, the more likely they are to create new and unique connections. Another possibility is that due to the lack of executive functioning skills, people with ADHD feel the need to compensate with creative and novel solutions to their problems, referred to as “creative compensation.”
In addition, there is a concurrence between the symptoms of activation and effort, and the divergent thinking component of resistance to closure. The ability to sustain effort for long periods of time comes from hyperfixation, which is the focus on a “task or an activity to the exclusion of everything else.” Hyperfixation along with substandard activation leads to unique and original ideas by refusing to settle on the unimaginative and repetitive ones. Furthermore, a study conducted by Holly A. White, found that those with ADHD did better in terms of fluency and flexibility on the Unusual Uses Task (UUT) than their non-ADHD counterparts.
While people with ADHD struggle with their symptoms, they often struggle more from the stigmas placed on them, which can create a harmful self-image, and thus, a lower quality of life. It is important to recognize the special abilities and exceptional qualities that those with ADHD have. Scientists have only scratched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding the correlation between ADHD and creativity, and it is crucial that they invest more into understanding it in the future. My sister is probably the most creative person I know, and it is because of her ADHD that she is so imaginative.
Photo Caption: Individuals with ADHD exhibit increased creativity
Photo Credit: Unsplash