T
hose affected by attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) are clinically thought of as
inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive. But
people with ADHD are also perceived as being
very spontaneous, curious, inquisitive, enthusi-
astic, lively and witty, a perception that creates
an impression they are more creative than
those without ADHD. But is there truth to this idea?
Creativity is generally the ability to generate something
original and unprecedented. The ideas must be not only
new and surprising but also useful and relevant. Among
other things, creativity comes through intensive knowl-
edge and great motivation in a particular field, be it
painting, music or mathematics.
For years, both laypersons and scientists have been
fascinated by the proverbial proximity of genius and
madness. According to psychologist Dean Keith Simon-
ton of the University of California, Davis, unusual and
unexpected experiences, such as psychological difficul-
ties and psychiatric stays, are an important characteris-
tic of people who create masterpieces.
Two core symptoms, inattention and impulsiveness,
suggest a connection between creativity and ADHD.
Inattention, which occurs more frequently in those
affected with the disorder, likely leads to mind wander-
ing, or the drifting of thoughts from an activity or envi-
ronment. Such drifting can lead to new, innovative and
creative ideas.
In a study, detailed in the Journal of Creative Behav-
ior, researchers asked 26 college students with ADHD
and 26 without ADHD to perform two creativity tests.
The first involved inventing and drawing alien fruit
without copying those on Earth. Students with ADHD
were able to create more unique fruit. Similarly, when
asked to invent product labels, those with ADHD were
able to come up with less conventional names.
People with ADHD are also more impulsive and there-
fore more willing to take risks: they dare to approach
new things and situations without fear of contact. In a
2011 study, 203 five- to 10-year-old children participated
in a Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) experiment.
BART is a computerized test where participants can
blow up balloons one click at a time. Each time a balloon
is inflated, participants earn money. If, however, the bal-
loon pops, participants lose their earnings. Researchers
found that those with ADHD pumped more than the
control group—meaning they took greater risks than
those without ADHD. Those with both ADHD and oppo-
sitional defiant disorder (ODD), children with defiance
toward authority figures, pumped the most of all groups.
Even at primary school age, teachers perceive more
impulsive children as more curious. This is likely to cre-
ate more learning opportunities for these students,
which, in turn, could enhance their creativity.
ADHD is, however, a highly heterogeneous disorder.
Not only are there large differences between affected
individuals, but the symptoms are also not always the
same in patients. In addition, cognitive performance
fluctuates from person to person. For example, for some
with ADHD, the disease has a flip side in that they pos-
sess the ability to focus intensely on one single thing,
when interested. A 2018 study showed that adults with
ADHD had higher, and more frequent episodes of, hyper-
focus when it came to hobbies, school and screen time.
Similar to mind wandering, this ability is also extreme-
ly beneficial for creative or artistic tasks.
Nonetheless, research into the relation between
ADHD and creativity to date has painted an inconsistent
picture, partly because it is more difficult to understand
creativity using psychological tests than it is to compre-
hend, say, intelligence. So far, though, studies that are of
higher quality and involve sufficient test subjects do not
provide clear evidence that people with ADHD are actu-
ally the better lateral thinkers.
Caterina Gawrilow, a psychology professor at Eberhard Karls
University Tübingen, investigates learning difficulties in chil-
dren and adolescents.
Sara Goudarzi is a Brooklyn-based writer.
