Neurotics are more creative: study

A new study reveals why neurotic people tend to be more creative when it comes to problem-solving.

A theory published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences found how neurotics are more creative and it is through overthinking. According to Adam Perkins, a psychologist, author of the paper and according to Time, neurotics tend to dwell on negative thoughts and over think come up with greater solutions that make themselves more creative.

"Neuroticism has costs but it also has benefits," Dr. Perkins wrote to The Huffington Post in an email. "Highly neurotic people will suffer a lot of anxiety and depression over their lifespan, but their deep-thinking, brooding tendencies can also give rise to greater creative potential."

According to Perkins, neurotics tend to overthink and thus result in anxiety and heightened sensitivity to threat which allows them to be more creative in solving problems.

Perkins explained to Time that neurotics being "threat sensitive" are one of the classifications proposed by British psychologist Jeffrey Gray in the 70s. According to the outlet, individuals who score high on neuroticism tests prefer analytical jobs that require mental thinking or problem solving which suggests that neurotics to be risk-aversive.

"Why should having a magnified view of threat make you good at coming up with solutions to difficult problems?" Perkins told the magazine. "It doesn't add up. On one hand, it's a clever theory-it shows the difficulty of holding down a dangerous job, for example-but on the other hand, it doesn't explain why [neurotic people] tend to feel unhappy or why they're more creative."

According to the report by Time, the theory that neuroticism is linked to creativity was brought up from the lecture of his co-author Jonathan Smallwood.

"He started describing how people whose minds wander are better at things like creativity, delaying gratification and planning. He also talked about the way that daydreamers' minds wander when they're feeling kind of blue and my perked up," Perkins said.

Smallwood is an expert on neuroscience of daydreaming and he demonstrated through the brain scans of volunteers how negative thoughts can highlight more activity in the medial prefrontal cortex of the brain.

Perkins tells the Independent that they are unsure how to fully explain neuroticism but is optimistic that their study will help others "make sense of their own experiences."

"Hopefully our theory will also stimulate new research as it provides us with a straightforward unifying framework to tie together the creative aspects of neuroticism with its emotional aspects," Perkins said.