ADHD + Creativity - are ADHD brains really more creative than most?

Have you heard that people with ADHD are more creative as well as being more ‘quirky? But is this a popular ADHD myth? What happens if you’re ADHD and you aren’t creative - did you get the ‘rubbish’ version of ADHD?

The popular chat online is that ADHD is a 'superpower' - boosting our creativity. I've met many creative ADHDers. Some aren't obviously creative to themselves or others. They feel that they're not original or creative - another failure. 

You know I do love a bit of research and so far, the studies are inconclusive.

White and Shah (2006) found that people with ADHD may be good at thinking creatively and solving problems. Healey and Rucklidge (2006) found no real difference in creativity levels between those with ADHD and those without. The data isn’t helping us here is it? 

I'm a certified ADHD coach and a painter and I've noticed that creativity isn't exclusive to ADHD. Does it mean that your ADHD diagnosis is invalid  if you're not a fountain of creativity,? Absolutely not.

The Complexity of Creativity: More Than a Trait

Creativity is influenced by many things, such as how you were raised, your surroundings, and even your unique brain. A study by Fink et al. (2012) suggests creativity is a mix of cognitive, emotional, and contextual factors. Being able to paint, draw, play music, write, dance - whatever we might put into the ‘creative bucket’ - is only part of creativity. Creativity can be found in any part of our life - and there are some very UNcreative artists too! Not every artist who is good at their craft has a great imagination.

The Role of Executive Functions: The Achilles' Heel?

ADHD affects our executive functions and they are essential so that we can plan and execute creative projects. So you may have a head full of creative ideas but with ADHD, find you can't bring them OUT into the world. Finishing them can be….  a challenge. Research confirms that that executive functions are essential for the creative process. (Benedek)

Our executive functions can hold us back: and lots of creative people find this also limits our ability to think of solutions in a creative way. The more stressed and frustrated we are feeling, the less our creative problem solving can come to the rescue. Creative people with ADHD face other barriers like perfectionism and imposter syndrome. That's why community support, especially from those who understand ADHD, is so important.

Embracing the Nuances

The relationship between ADHD and creativity is far from straightforward. There's no evidence that ADHD is a creative superpower, in any of the studies so far. We can find creative people of any neurotype - ADHD or not. If you don’t fit into society's conventional box of creativity, your ADHD experience is valid and worth exploring.

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Further reading:

White, H. A., & Shah, P. (2006). Uninhibited imaginations: Creativity in adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. *Personality and Individual Differences*, 40(6), 1121-1131.

Healey, D., & Rucklidge, J. J. (2006). An investigation into the relationship among ADHD symptomatology, creativity, and neuropsychological functioning in children. *Child Neuropsychology*, 12(6), 421-438.

Fink, A., Grabner, R. H., Gebauer, D., Reishofer, G., Koschutnig, K., & Ebner, F. (2012). Enhancing creativity by means of cognitive stimulation: Evidence from an fMRI study. *NeuroImage*, 52(4), 1687-1695.

Benedek, M., Franz, F., Heene, M., & Neubauer, A. C. (2012). Differential effects of cognitive inhibition and intelligence on creativity. *Personality and Individual Differences*, 53(4), 480-