On 03.28.2023 at 08:00 a.m.
Modified on 03.28.2023 at 8:00 p.m.
Researchers say the idea that drugs or alcohol necessarily increase creativity is wrong. The figure of the “troubled artist” is a myth that was celebrated in the 20th century, but it might be that other elements play a positive role in creation.
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The artist’s image with a capital “A” falling in alcohol and drug abuse is a cultural myth that we all have. From classical musicians like Mozart, a renowned alcoholic, to the painter Van Gogh and his love for absinthe, passing through the artists of the “club of 27” who died prematurely of an overdose of medication or drugs, such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin or Amy Winehouse, the clichés regarding “creatives” and their use of substances have persisted over the centuries, with the idea that this excessive consumption allowed them to be “inspired”, to indulge in the creation of ” masterpieces”.
But this legend that alcohol or drugs increase creativity is false, or at least it is idealized, according to several researchers who publish an analysis of hundreds of scientific articles On the question. Conversely, meditation, travel, culture in the broad sense, or even work and training are real means of boosting this work of the mind which makes it possible to create, according to these specialists from the University of Essex in England and the Humboldt University of Berlin. Except that it’s less “cool”.
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Meditation in “mindfulness” VS “disjointed” ideas under narcotics
Asked by the Guardian, Dr Paul Hanel, from the Department of Psychology at the University of Essex, indicates that alcohol or drugs, such as amphetamines and psilocybin (magic mushrooms), “don’t do anything for creativity, because people don’t take advantage of it” followingwards. Their side effects can be dangerous, which is why it is “scientifically erroneous to recommend their consumption for the purpose of enhancing creative output“, adds Jennifer Haase, of Humboldt University, co-author of the article. “Ideas generated under the influence of narcotics often seem disjointed or lead to inappropriate solutions”she noted.
What the researchers noticed in all these studies that they had to decipher is that “complex training, meditation and cultural exposure such as study abroad” were the most revealing factors of creativity. Highlighting mental techniques, discovering “mindfulness” activities, or even broadening one’s horizons, would thus make it possible to positively influence one’s creative process in the short and long term, without suffering from deleterious effects on health.
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The artists will not agree with this observation: a large part of the latest album by singer Harry Styles, Fine Line, was actually conceived while eating magic mushrooms, which he claims was “fun and creative”. The same goes for creatives in Silicon Valley, where the use of magic mushrooms is also common. These researchers did recognize that there may be specific contexts in which certain drugs can enhance creativity – for example, a vision induced by a hallucinogen may allow painting of a work inspired by it.
Mental health, at the heart of creativity?
However, as the British journal mentions, a recent scientific paper found that people who took psilocybin, while feeling more creative, actually underperformed when drugged than when sober. It is therefore not necessary to consider all drugs in the same way and to explore specifically in which case these can be useful or harmful. More and more studies reveal the power of controlled use of mushrooms or LSD to help cure depression. It might indeed be that the Mental Health plays a big role in the ability to create. However, the myth of the “troubled artist” has been much more attractive in the 20th century, especially during the counterculture and punk era of the 1960s, and following, than the idea of an artist with a spirit healthy. The use of alcohol and drugs was celebrated and romanticized, and with it the idea that an artist must be in the abuse to create.
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