Aristotle has been right all along with his observation when he said that the great minds that have existed always have a touch of madness to them. It seemed like serious mood disorders are the price humans have to pay for their creativity and intelligence. Aristotle was not alone in his observation as research has shown that serious mood disorders is linked to higher intelligence.
In the 80s, a research was conducted that involved writers and non-writers to find out the presence of mental disorders. As expected, the result showed that a large majority of writers with 80 percent having a tendency of bipolar disorder while 38 percent of that group has sought treatment. While 63 percent of that group was mostly playwrights.
Moreover, a recent research has been conducted to find out the link of bipolar disorder to higher intelligence. The research included identifying the IQ of 1,881 individuals when they were eight years old. After that, they were assessed when they reached the age of 22-23.
The assessment were part of a checklist used to diagnose bipolar disorder. Each of the individuals were given a score out of 100 related to how many manic traits they have experienced.
The assessment showed that those who got a score from the top 10 percent of manic traits have an IQ which are 10 percent higher than those who scored the lowest. Furthermore, this appeared most strongly to those who have higher verbal IQ.
The results have been consistent with other research. According to scientists, the brain controls different areas of survival where a big part of it is taken up by social interaction. This same area is what helps develop empathy, altruism, and cooperation. However, if such brain function is not highly developed or nonexistent, that area is used for other purposes, such as creativity. That is why some people are able to develop moving pieces of art, music, and create mathematical formulas. This lack of social interaction replaced by creative intelligence is related to the diagnosis of autism.
