It's in your genes!

[JackLuis]

Artistic creativity and psychosis share a genetic source: study

Artistic creativity may share genetic roots with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to a study published on Monday.

The research, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, delves into a well-known genetic database — the deCODE library of DNA codes derived from samples provided by the population of Iceland.

The authors first compared genetic and medical data from 86,000 Icelanders, establishing a DNA signature that pointed to a doubled risk for schizophrenia and an increase of a third for bipolar disorder.

The next step was to look at the genomes of people engaged in artistic work.

Those samples came from more than 1,000 volunteers who were members of Iceland’s national societies of visual arts, theatre, dance, writing and music.

Members of these organisations were 17 percent likelier than non-members to have the same genetic signature, the study found.

So does that mean Lit Writers are mutants?

 

[DreamCloud]

All of that is hogwash - at least that is what the voices in my head are telling me.

 

[lovecraft68]

But its.....Iceland

Most creative sorts are a little odder than the rest, but that's just because we'd rather deal with are writing/painting/music or whatever than....the normal boring people around us.