ADHD and Creativity: A Double-Edged Study?

By Rick Green

Another ADHD myth has been exposed to the glare of scientific study; only this time, research confirms what many have long maintained. People with ADHD are more creative.

Holly A. White from the University of Memphis and Priti Shah of the University of Michigan published an ADHD and creativity study this month that validates what many have suspected to be true. The study found that “Adults with ADHD showed higher levels of original creative thinking … and higher levels of real-world creative achievement, compared to adults without ADHD.” White and Shah found that whereas most people prefer to study a problem and refine ideas before making deciding on a course of action, those with ADHD tend to generate new ideas.

I have always suspected a link between ADHD and creativity, so I asked around. An informal survey of friends in the entertainment industry revealed that at least a third and maybe half demonstrated ADHD traits and symptoms. One of these creative minds, actor Patrick McKenna, participated in our TotallyADD documentary about ADHD in adults,  ADD & Loving It?!. Patrick shared how he fell in love with improve comedy when his high school drama teacher took him to see Second City’s stage show. Patrick was thunderstruck, mesmerized by the ability of the comedians to make people laugh using suggestions audience members shouted out. He felt the energy in the room and knew he’d found his calling.

While most people’s biggest fear is public speaking, Patrick couldn’t wait to get onstage. Could not wait. Imagine that: being drawn so strongly to situations that others find terrifying, and yet struggling with every-day tasks that others find so easy. In fact, when non-ADHDers can’t understand why we struggle with simple tasks, I ask them how they’d feel doing improv comedy on stage. When they become present to the fear and anxiety, I say: “That’s how I feel if I have to do my taxes.” A link between ADHD and creativity helps some of this make sense, but it can also uncover more complexities.

This new study is a double-edged sword. For ADHDers struggling with finances, relationships and work, it’s a relief to hear about the positive aspects of having a mind that flutters out of control. For ADHDers with some mastery over their symptoms, it confirms that a mind that doesn’t filter incoming signals as well as others can be an asset in certain situations. However, for ADHDers who do not perceive themselves as creative, this could be taken as yet another failure. “Wow, I can’t even do ADHD right!” (Wrong. There are many ways to be creativity -not just the arts – and every ADHDer has a special set of talents and challenges, none better or worse than the rest.)

Another reason for caution when considering these results is that studies and statistics are tricky and easily manipulated to sway public perception. For example, when a study indicates that people with ADHD score higher than average on creativity tests, a news reporter, who majored in English instead of Stats, might blithely report, “Well folks, it appears that if you have ADHD, you’re more creative than the rest of us.” Woah! Not so fast.

This study simply suggests that, on average, ADHDers score higher on tests of creativity. That doesn’t mean that non-ADHDers are not creative or that all ADHDers are. To use a simple example, women, on average, live longer than men. Yet George Burns lived to be 101, while his wife, Gracie Allen, died at 69. George and Gracie weren’t ‘exceptions to the rule.’ There is no ‘rule’ that men have to die younger. George and Gracie just weren’t average. The ADHD mind knows a thing or two about that. We embrace it.

The study spurs many other questions, some of which it was able to address and others that require more in-depth study. Sometimes, questions only lead to yet more questions. How big is the difference between the ADHD and non-ADHD scores? How did the study measure creativity? What types of creativity are there? The co-authors of the study address many of these questions in their scientific paper, but the bigger question is: What does this mean for you and me, as ADHDers, or as people who live and/or work with ADHDers?

It’s a question we each must answer for ourselves. With as much creativity as we can!

Rick Green, a Canadian writer/actor, is the creative force behind www.TotallyADD.com. Rick shares hilarious observations about ADHD to liberate fellow ADHDers from the fear, shame and stigma. ADD & Loving It?! is the award-winning documentary recommended by CHADD and ADDA now appearing on many PBS stations. Check local listings.