“Because self-generated thought allows us to imagine realities different to the way they are right now,” the researchers write, “we argue that it underpins our capacity to solve problems in creative and original ways.” This, they add, explains why creativity is a “particularly common gift among high scorers on neuroticism.”

The researchers concede that, since their theory is new, it has “yet to be validated experimentally.” But they point to “supportive circumstantial evidence,” in the form of brain-imaging studies that are consistent with their hypothesis.

“We’re still a long way off from fully explaining neuroticism, and we’re not offering all of the answers,” Perkins says, “but we hope that our new theory will help people make sense of their own experiences, and show that although being neurotic is, by definition, unpleasant, it also has creative benefits.”

On that last point, he and his colleagues conclude with a warning: “Deliberately managing self-generated thought so that it acquires a positive slant is likely to be psychologically protective,” they note. But such therapy could also “do more harm than good” if it simultaneously dampens one’s creativity.

It’s possible that neurotic tendencies are the price creative people pay for their extraordinary inventiveness. The good news: If you can find a more positive outlet for that imagination, you just might come up with something remarkable.

Findings^[9] is a daily column by Pacific Standard staff writer Tom Jacobs, who scours the psychological-research journals to discover new insights into human behavior, ranging from the origins of our political beliefs to the cultivation of creativity.

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