The Molecule of More

CREATIVITY AND MADNESS

motivation. How could excess stimulation cause psychosis? The answer

comes from the concept of salience, a phenomenon that will also play a

crucial role in understanding the roots of creativity.

SALIENCE AND THE DOPAMINE CONNECTION

Salience refers to the degree to which things are important, prom-
inent, or conspicuous. One kind of salience is the quality of being
unusual. For example, a clown walking down the street would be more
salient—more out of place—than a man in a business suit. Another
kind of salience is value. A briefcase with $10,000 in it is more salient
than a  wallet with $20. Different things are  salient to  different people.
A jar of peanut butter is more salient to a boy with a peanut allergy
than to one who is allergy free. It would also be more salient to a girl
who loves peanut butter sandwiches compared to one who prefers
tuna salad.
Think about how salient the following things are: a grocery store
you’ve seen a hundred times before versus a grocery store that just
opened yesterday, the face of a stranger versus the face of the person
you secretly love, and a policeman as you are walking down the street
versus a policeman after you just made an illegal left turn. Things
are salient when they are important to you, if they have the potential
to impact your well-being, for good or for evil. Things are salient
if they have  the  potential to  affect your future. Things are  salient if 
they trigger desire dopamine. They broadcast the message, Wake up.
Pay attention. Get excited. This is important. You’re sitting at a bus stop,
glancing at a newspaper article about a Canadian trade agreement.
Unless the mind-numbing details of the negotiation will impact you
in some way, your desire dopamine circuit is at rest. Then all of a
sudden you come across the name of one of your classmates from
high school. She’s been involved in the negotiation of the pact. Bang!
Salience. Dopamine. As you read further, your interest rising, you sud-
denly come across your own name. You can imagine how that would
affect your dopamine.