Nutrition and Creativity

[Guest guest]

http://creativesubstances.com/nutrition-and-creativity

 

Can nutrition and supplements enhance creativity?  This is a question I have

been exploring for several years now.  I have discovered a wealth of scientific

information that supports and/or suggests a potential influence, but I have had

a harder time finding feedback from people consciously using nutrition and

supplementation to increase creativity.  And so I have created this website to

combine the latest scientific discoveries with my own experimentation. 

 

First, what are the scientific underpinnings of creativity?  Recent research

into creativity has identified two important traits common to creative

individuals: schizotypy and low latent inhibition.  Schizotypy, as the name

implies, refers to a set of personality traits related to schizophrenia.  An

important distinction here is that it is possible to have schizotypal traits and

not actually have schizophrenia.  In short, there are four general schizotypal

traits: unusual experiences, cognitive disorganization, introverted anhedonia,

and impulsive non-conformity.  The first two are considered “positiveâ€

schizotypal traits while the latter two are called “negative.â€Â 

Nettle published a study in which he analyzed the schizotypal tendencies of

artists and mathematicians, and observed that successful poets and artists score

higher in the first two categories than the average population.  Introverted

anhedonia, or the inability to

experience pleasure was negatively correlated with success in all artistic

domains.  His study can be found here.

 

Cognitive disorganization is strongly related to the second major recent

discovery about creative individuals – low latent inhibition.  Latent

inhibition (LI) refers to the ability to screen out irrelevant stimuli from

conscious awareness.  Historically, low LI has been associated with psychosis,

since people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder usually display low latent

inhibition on common tests of attention.  H. Carson headed a study of

Harvard undergraduates which added an interesting twist to the old assumption. 

Her study found that high lifetime creative achievement is strongly correlated

with low latent inhibition and high IQ.  The idea is that low latent inhibition

can predispose individuals to either psychosis or exceptional creativity,

depending on the moderating influence of intelligence.  Of course, low latent

inhibition could predispose someone to both creativity and psychosis, which may

help explain the longstanding

link between genius and insanity.  As the poet Dryden wrote in 17th century

England, “great wits are sure to madness near allied, and thin partitions do

their bounds divide.â€

 

So there appears to be a link between schizotypal tendencies, low latent

inhibition and creative achievement.  Dr. Simonton noted another

important trend among highly creative individuals: they tend to produce a lot

and the quality of their work remains fairly constant.  Beethoven’s greatest

works, for example, were all produced during his most prolific periods when he

also created a lot of now largely ignored pieces.  Over the course of his life,

Beethoven’s probability-of-success remained constant.  For the rest of us

this means that the more we produce the better our chances of creating our

finest work, even if we have to sift through a lot of dirt to reach the gold. 

Go here for a great summary of Dr. Simonton’s work.

 

Having discussed the major recent discoveries about creativity, let’s return

to the original question: can nutrition enhance creativity?   We now have some

specific goals in mind through which to analyze the influence of nutrition and

supplements.  We are looking to lower latent inhibition (subjectively

comparable to a rush of ideas).  We are looking to increase productivity. 

Shared among these is the influence of dopamine, particularly in the mesolimbic

pathway of the brain.  Increasing dopamine is therefore one target of our

nutritional approach to enhancing creativity. 

 

First, let’s consider supplements that may enhance creativity.  I have

limited my research for the most part to naturally occurring substances that the

reader can easily obtain.  Of course, you could just take 5 mg. of

d-amphetamine, which has been repeatedly shown to reduce latent inhibition. 

However, I would like to focus on more sustainable ways of enhancing

creativity.  The most effective “natural†supplements I have found are

SAM-e and NADH.  Both are naturally occurring in the human body and indirectly

influence dopamine levels.  I have also experimented with deprenyl

(selegiline).  Although not a naturally occurring substance, deprenyl does

influence dopamine levels and has been used to increase lifespan in laboratory

animals.  My own experiments with deprenyl have been less than stellar, so I

only mention it as a hypothetical creativity enhancer which hasn’t really

worked for me personally.  I have also used amino acids like

l-tyrosine and l-phenylalanine (both precursors of dopamine) but with likewise

inconsistent effects.  As an interesting alternative I would mention the

combination of maca and horny goat weed (epimedium).  Although usually combined

to make a well-studied herbal aphrodisiac, I believe the hormonal effects of

these two herbs can influence creativity.  Maybe they just make you so horny

that your drive to create intensifies as well — but if it works, it works. 

 

Lest we dwell too much on the healthy creativity enhancers, let’s not forget

the old standby alcohol.  Can dozens of famously alcoholic writers and poets be

wrong?  There has been some scientific research into the role of alcohol in the

creative process, with one Finnish study suggesting that it can definitely be

useful in the incubation phase.  Assuming that alcohol can play a productive

role in creativity, you might want to make red wine your alcohol of choice. 

 

Secondly, let’s consider dietary approaches.  When we eat, what we eat, and

how much we eat all have an influence on mood and attention.  So why

shouldn’t diet also influence creativity?  I once spent a period of about six

months attempting to replicate the Ancient Greek diet.  I ate lots of fish and

barley.  Why on earth would I do such a thing?  Well, the culture of ancient

Athens in particular produced more geniuses per capita than any other culture

before or since.  What they actually ate may not have had anything to do with

it, but I felt it was a worthwhile experiment nonetheless.  Most recently diets

that imitate hunter-gatherer diets have attracted a lot of attention.  These

diets usually exclude grains and as a result are relatively low on

carbohydrates.  In my own experiments I have found hunter-gatherer or

Paleolithic-type diets to have an energizing effect.  When sticking to them I

never felt the need for a nap in the middle of

the day, and I regularly experienced intensely euphoric moments.  What about

the more mundane substances we daily choose to ingest?  Coffee, cocoa, and

green tea all have a place in creative work. 

 

Thirdly, let’s consider daily habits.  What about the influence of exercise,

sleep, sex, and light exposure on creativity?  Can we learn anything from the

daily habits of eminent creators? 

 

I started this website in order to share my own experiences with nutrition and

creativity, and I’d like to invite others to post their own experiences below

and in the other pages of this site.

 

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6 Comments »

[...] creativity?  Levels of SAM-e appear to be elevated in children and in

euphoric and manic people.  As I’ve mentioned before, creative individuals

display many similarities to schizophrenics and manic depressives.  Dopamine

[...]

Pingback by SAM-e – Does it Boost Creativity? « creativesubstances.com —

January 21, 2009 @ 9:00 pm

[...] does make me think almost immediately of low latent inhibition.  As

I’ve mentioned before, low latent inhibition appears to be a quality common to

creative individuals.  Because they do not filter stimuli as [...]

Pingback by The Insomniac’s Muse: Sleep, Sleeplessness, and Creativity «

Creative Substances — January 22, 2009 @ 11:03 pm

[...] adenine dinucleotide) increases dopamine via the enzyme tyrosine

hydroxylase.  The influence of dopamine has been linked to creative thinking in

countless studies, and I have found NADH especially useful for late night

creative [...]

Pingback by Six Natural Ways to Enhance Creativity « Creative Substances —

January 28, 2009 @ 7:21 pm

[...] few studies which suggest that it may be able to enhance dopamine

neurotransmission in the brain.  Dopamine has been linked to creative drive and

idea generation in many studies, and enhancing dopamine appears to be a

significant approach to boosting [...]

Pingback by Arachidonic Acid Increases Dopamine « Creative Substances —

February 10, 2009 @ 10:01 pm

[...] than in larger doses.  It tends to simultaneously relax the body while

disinhibiting the mind (and lowering latent inhibition).  A single drink is

probably best, and possible a second if a snack is involved to help slow down

[...]

Pingback by How Does Alcohol Affect Creativity? « Creative Substances —

February 18, 2009 @ 7:05 pm

[...] selection favoring creativity.  That is, creative people tend to attract

more partners, and the same genes that confer heightened creativity can also

lead to affective diseases.  One highly publicized study found that

professional artists [...]

Pingback by Sex and Creativity « Creative Substances — February 20, 2009 @

4:45 pm

 

Love, Gabby. :0)

http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

 

" I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had

some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin. " ~ Jerry Newport