Easily distracted by Noise? Well, you might just be a Creative Genius

While it may seem like the predisposition to be easily distracted would hinder creative work, new research suggests that it also may be a key component of creative genius. Psychologists at Northwestern University have found that highly creative people tend to be more distracted by noise than the average person.

The study, which was published in the March issue of the journal Neuropsychologia, examines a phenomenon known as “sensory gating,” which determines how much information from the environment enters a person’s awareness.

Usually, the brain automatically filters out irrelevant information. But people with a “leaky” sensory gate, psychologists say, struggle to shut out information such as a clock ticking or a conversation in the distance.

“[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][In these people], sensory information is leaking in,” Darya Zabelina, a doctoral candidate in psychology at Northwestern and the study’s lead author, told The Huffington Post. “The brain is processing more information than it is in a typical person.”

The researchers hypothesized that this sensory hypersensitivity might contribute to creativity because it widens the individual’s scope of attention. So, people who take in more information would be more likely to make new and unusual connections between diverse pieces of information.

The findings indicate that creative people do tend to be more sensitive to sounds in their environment. Having a wide scope of attention — one that takes note of information that most people automatically filter out — seems to carry some benefits. She noted that creative benefits of sensory hypersensitivity include “having richer experiences, being able to integrate information that is distantly related, or being able to make associations between distantly related concepts or ideas.”

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