Psycho Alert: Is Creativity Linked to Psychopathy?

Recent research suggests that creative minds are mostly linked to psychopathy. Emotional disinhibition is being liked by the researchers to creativity.

The creative process is said to be a firm structure which is integral to emotional disinhibition. According to the Independent, psychopathy and creativity are correlated. The researchers came up with a study where it was mentioned that psychopathy and creativity share the same "key traits."

A study published in the Personality and Individual Differences was reported by Science Direct. It was cited that the researchers looked for a correlation between psychopathy and creativity. Their aim was to point out if the person's creativity makes them more prone to psychopathy and other psychopathic behaviors.

"A creative field might not just shape a person into a more arrogant or dishonest personality," the authors wrote. "It might be actively selecting them, not for the sake of having disagreeable traits, but because such traits meaningfully co-vary with creativity itself. We argue that emotional disinhibition, in the form of psychopathic boldness, is actually integral to some creative personalities and functionally related to the creative process."

The study involved a total of 503 participants. They were asked to answer a survey for the researchers to be able to gauge their narcissistic traits. Aside from narcissism, the researchers also gauged their psychopathic tendencies and Machiavellianism. The researchers came to conclusion that creative individuals reveal antisocial behaviors which are strongly related to psychopathic meanness and disinhibition.

The Guardian also added that creative individuals are 25% more prone to developing a mental illness. Creative people are more likely to carry out genes which contain high risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Though psychopathy and creativity are closely related, it is still being argued upon by most experts. Some claim that the correlation between the two is being romanticized. The correlation between the two is still being looked upon by researchers for them to have a concrete proof that psychopath can be closely related to creativity.

Do you think psychopathy can be closely related to creativity? Do let us know your thoughts in regards to this study. Feel free to relay your thoughts on the comment section below.