Can ADHD Make You More Creative by Letting Your Mind Wander? Study Sheds Light - Video

A new study presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress in Amsterdam reveals that individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may have a creative edge, and this advantage appears to stem from a stronger tendency for the mind to wander.

Led by Han Fang from Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, the research involved two independent groups of participants: one from a European ECNP-curated group and the other from the UK, totaling 750 individuals. The team compared those with and without ADHD traits to examine how attention, impulsivity, and mind wandering influence creative ability.

The study assessed creativity through standardized methods, such as asking participants to generate creative uses for everyday objects. Simultaneously, researchers measured two forms of mind wandering: spontaneous, where thoughts shift unintentionally, and deliberate, where individuals purposefully let their minds explore freely. Both groups exhibited typical ADHD behaviors like impulsivity and inattention, and in both, those with stronger ADHD traits reported higher levels of mind wandering.

“We found that people with more ADHD trait,s such as lack of attention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity, score higher on creative achievements in both studies,” Fang noted. Importantly, deliberate mind wandering was particularly linked to enhanced creativity in ADHD individuals. This finding suggests that certain cognitive patterns in ADHD may serve as a source of innovation.

These insights could shape future treatment and education strategies. The researchers emphasize the need for further studies to confirm and expand on these findings.

Reference: https://www.ecnp.eu/congress2025/