In today’s episode, we speak with Dr Holly White, cognitive psychologist and researcher looking at the link between ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and creativity.

We look at why some people with ADHD might succeed on certain creative tasks, as well as the link between inhibition in the brain and creativity.

Topics covered in today’s episode:

  • 00:02:45 – What ADHD is, what the symptoms are and how the diagnosis has changed over the past few years
  • 00:07:00 – Inattentiveness and Daydreaming, and shortening attention spans are becoming more common
  • 00:09:00 – The combination of genetic factors as well as environmental and physiological which lead to ADHD
  • 00:12:00 – The research which Dr White did into the link between ADHD and creative behaviour
  • 00:14:00 – The link between people inhibiting their thoughts / being less focused, and being better at developing more original ideas in divergent thinking tasks
  • 00:20:00 – The link between ADHD and people incorporating things from their environment in creative ideas and artistic output
  • 00:23:00 – Research shows that people with ADHD are less affected by boundaries of what has previously been produced, and are less affected by functional fixedness
  • 00:26:00 – Having someone with ADHD in a group makes everyone else in the group more creative as well, as they expand the variety of what is talked about
  • 00:30:30 – How diverse groups work together in brainstorming sessions
  • 00:36:00 – The default mode network is activated in the brain when you are daydreaming, forming new connections, and this results in a lot of original new connections

Links mentioned in today’s episode:

Did you know that scientific evidence shows your creativity decreases over time

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Creativity & Innovation expert: I help individuals and companies build their creativity and innovation capabilities, so you can develop the next breakthrough idea which customers love. Chief Editor of Ideatovalue.com and Founder / CEO of Improvides Innovation Consulting. Coach / Speaker / Author / TEDx Speaker / Voted as one of the most influential innovation bloggers.

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