If you are a tense, moody neurotic, take heart – you could also be a creative genius.
A new theory suggests that neurotic misery and imagination go hand-in-hand.
It could explain why so many original thinkers, such as the famously neurotic Vincent Van Gogh, suffered for their art.
Film-maker and comedian Woody Allen is another highly-creative worrier, as was Sir Isaac Newton.
What these individuals have in common is a brain more sensitive to perceived threats than those of other people. And that ‘panic button’ tendency is closely linked to an overactive, threat-generating imagination, say psychologists.
Personality expert Adam Perkins, from King’s College London, said: “We’re still a long way off from fully explaining neuroticism, and we’re not offering all the answers, but we hope that our new theory will help people make sense of their own experiences, and show that although being highly neurotic is by definition unpleasant, it also has creative benefits.
“We are hoping that 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.”
High scorers on neuroticism have a highly-active imagination, which acts as a built-in threat generator
Neuroticism is one of the “big five” personality traits recognised by psychologists, along with openness, conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness.
It is characterised by a long list of negative emotions, including anxiety, fear, worry, envy, frustration, jealousy and loneliness.
Support for the idea that neuroticism is associated with creativity has come from brain scan studies highlighting neural circuits that regulate self-generated thought.
A ‘panic button’ in the amygdala, a key emotional centre in the brain, is believed to switch on an inappropriate fear response after perceived threats are conjured up in the brain’s medial prefrontal cortex.
“High scorers on neuroticism have a highly-active imagination, which acts as a built-in threat generator,” said Perkins.
Activity in the medial prefrontal cortex not only produces fear in the neurotic, but is also a powerful creative force, say the researchers, who explain their theory in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences.