Leveraging the “mad genius ” debate: why we need a neuroscience of creativity and psychopathology

In this opinion article, I summarize the so-called “mad genius ” debate and suggest a way to reframe the issue so that it can ben-efit the field rather than divide it. As others have pointed out, creativity cannot effec-tively be studied as an overarching entity; it must be broken into smaller pieces and studied from an individual differences per-spective in order to provide meaningful results relating to brain function. I also try to frame the infant field of creativity-psychopathology neuroscience, and I end with the benefits this area of inquiry will provide. THE “MAD GENIUS ” DEBATE Creativity has been described as a human survival mechanism that allows both the individual and the species to adapt to the environment in real time (Richards, 1999; Miller, 2001). Creativity is also a sought-after character trait in fields as diverse as business, the arts, science, and sports. And yet we find there is a long list of high-level creative achievers who have suffered from the inner demons of psychopathology. The list includes such contemporary luminar-ies as comedian Robin Williams, as well as a host of influential creators from the past