Artistic tendencies linked to 'schizophrenia gene'

Guess I'm officially nuts, then ..

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17474-artistic-tendencies-linked-to-schizophrenia-gene.html

Not quite. This genetic effect, though statistically significant, is quite small, so it's likely that you don't even have this mutation. You certainly don't need to have it to be an artist. However, I don't intend to discredit this result, because psychologists have noted a weak but apparent connection between artistic talent and mental disorders for many years. A connection between creativity and schizophrenia actually makes some sense, if you think about it. A major aspect of the ability to produce creative works is the ability to snatch onto random weak thoughts as they sneak out from the backstage behind consciousness, strengthen them, and analyze their parts in enough specific detail so that one may physically recreate said thought. Essentially, artists need to have stronger feedback loops in their brains than most people. A boon for an artist can also be a catalyst of disorder, if minor imagined thoughts become powerful enough through recursive strengthening to overrule one's perception of reality.

Don't take any of my psych theories too seriously. Inventing untestable theories is a hobby of mine.

Or it could be as simple as the fact that people with schizophrenic tendencies are in their own ways driven away from social norms, and as a result channel their energies into different mediums other than the usual social crap.

It's a difficult correlation to correctly identify, really.

I recently learned that I have a schizoid personality. It doesn't necessarily mean crazy and hallucinating, it just means I don't respond outwardly to interpersonal things like gratitude, respect, apology, acceptance, excitement and so on. Of course, this was just reading stuff online, but it's more than I knew about myself growing up in a "nothing a smack upside the head can't fix" household.

Found a link in the comments of that article to another one which I think is a bit more in-depth and less end-all-be-all oriented. The last few paragraphs talk about evidence to the contrary.

I admit, though, I'm fairly assured that at least a decent amount (let's say one third) of the time the link is true. Which makes me doubly worried considering I've done everything from music to mapping to art/design to writing and enjoyed all of it quite thoroughly.

And my mom was diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder around 2000. That probably doesn't help my chances, haha.

Bucket said:

I recently learned that I have a schizoid personality. It doesn't necessarily mean crazy and hallucinating, it just means I don't respond outwardly to interpersonal things like gratitude, respect, apology, acceptance, excitement and so on. Of course, this was just reading stuff online, but it's more than I knew about myself growing up in a "nothing a smack upside the head can't fix" household.

There really should be an abuse classification for those kinds of households. People who think like that are the ones who are handicapped.

Bucket said:

I recently learned that I have a schizoid personality. It doesn't necessarily mean crazy and hallucinating, it just means I don't respond outwardly to interpersonal things like gratitude, respect, apology, acceptance, excitement and so on. Of course, this was just reading stuff online, but it's more than I knew about myself growing up in a "nothing a smack upside the head can't fix" household.

A psychological self-diagnosis means absolutely nothing. Even professional psychologists rarely agree that a given individual has a disorder, as opposed to merely a different balance of personality traits.

My father is a schizophrenic, and was the one who always inspired me to be creative. He made beautiful artwork but his condition combined with other factors really interfered with his life so he was never able to continue with it. I think if he had been able to keep doing it he wouldn't have ended up in such shit now.

A lot of really good artists, musicians, and comedians are bipolar, and that's a related condition to schizophrenia, so this makes sense. Also, it looks like science now backs that this guy was a master musician...

udderdude said:

Guess I'm officially nuts, then ..

You name yourself after bovine nipples and this is a surprise for you? :p

I've yet to meet a sane artist or comedian. Comedians are generally perverts and/or cynics so it should be no surprise. EDIT: Not to mention they tend to be real misanthropists. So how mentally stable are you if you actually agree with them?

Creaphis said:

A psychological self-diagnosis means absolutely nothing. Even professional psychologists rarely agree that a given individual has a disorder, as opposed to merely a different balance of personality traits.

The only "professional" I ever saw diagnosed me with slight depression after seeing me for a whole year. So I suppose my opinion is at least as informed as his.

POTGIESSER said:

Not to mention they tend to be real misanthropists. So how mentally stable are you if you actually agree with them?

Is this stable enough?

Why not throw that word around some more? You haven't offended enough people with sweeping generalizations yet for me to come up with a rational response.

While artists often to have "complicated" personalities, I tend to get the impression that schizos and some other types of loonies are people who, not being able to properly be artists, went nuts instead. Try to plug an electronic device in a soaked environment and it'll burn out.

Genes are double edged swords and that is why they're used and exchanged for adaptation; they're great in some contexts, bad in others. There's only one life, and it doesn't last that much, so you've got to use your sack of genetic material as best you can according to its measure and potential.

Csonicgo said:

Is this stable enough?

Why not throw that word around some more? You haven't offended enough people with sweeping generalizations yet for me to come up with a rational response.

I could do it on a case by case basis. Let's start with you right now. Unstable irrationality? Yes.

...because we all know that sweeping generalisations really are the answer to the worlds problems. :P

Danarchy said:

Also, it looks like science now backs that this guy was a master musician...

Look how the musical community changed its opinion of Thelonious Monk over time.

Sooooo... my cockmongering behavior has a genetic basis?