Colours of the mind: A qualitative study exploring the relationship between neurodivergence and creativity
- 1Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom.
- 2Department of Medical Education, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom.
- 3Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Worthing, East Sussex, United Kingdom.
Abstract
The neurodiversity movement advocates for a societal framework that recognises neurodivergence as a difference, rather than a disorder. Despite the advocacy efforts, neurodivergent people still face issues with their physical and mental health at higher rates than the general population. Some scholars argue that these disproportionate rates originate from stress resulting from discrimination and societal stigma faced by neurodivergent people. This study aims to challenge these societal views through exploring one of the reported strengths of being neurodivergent: creativity. This study aims to explore why neurodivergent populations may be creative. To research this complex relationship between being neurodivergence and creativity a qualitative study was conducted. Ten neurodivergent adults who had studied or were currently studying a creative degree were interviewed on Zoom, exploring their beliefs about this relationship. An inductive thematic analysis was then carried out. The analysis gave rise to three themes: (1) The Construct of Creativity, (2) Resilience, & (3) Empowerment. These themes provided hypotheses for understanding the connection between neurodivergence and creativity. The results provided two hypotheses. The ‘innate trait hypothesis’ posits that traits thought to be intrinsic to neurodivergence may be beneficial in fostering creativity. The innate traits that arose were divergent thinking, monotropism and communication differences. The ‘social isolation hypothesis’ posits that the discrimination that neurodivergent people face leads to profound isolation and in some cases mental health challenges. Neurodivergent people may then use creativity as a method for regulating their emotions, providing solace from distress. Moreover, the isolation they experience provides an opportunity for introspection, which fuels creativity. Our results highlight that some neurodivergent traits, when placed within a creative context, can become strengths. This highlights the possibility that the pathologisation of neurodivergent traits is not just damaging but also invalid, with the reality being much more nuanced.
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BibTeX
@article{erin2026colours,
title = {{Colours of the mind: A qualitative study exploring the relationship between neurodivergence and creativity}},
author = {Ben Erin and Sebastian C K Shaw and Lisa Quadt and Jessica A Eccles},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0359079},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359079},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Colours of the mind: A qualitative study exploring the relationship between neurodivergence and creativity
AU - Ben Erin
AU - Sebastian C K Shaw
AU - Lisa Quadt
AU - Jessica A Eccles
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0359079
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359079
AB - The neurodiversity movement advocates for a societal framework that recognises neurodivergence as a difference, rather than a disorder. Despite the advocacy efforts, neurodivergent people still face issues with their physical and mental health at higher rates than the general population. Some scholars argue that these disproportionate rates originate from stress resulting from discrimination and societal stigma faced by neurodivergent people. This study aims to challenge these societal views through exploring one of the reported strengths of being neurodivergent: creativity. This study aims to explore why neurodivergent populations may be creative. To research this complex relationship between being neurodivergence and creativity a qualitative study was conducted. Ten neurodivergent adults who had studied or were currently studying a creative degree were interviewed on Zoom, exploring their beliefs about this relationship. An inductive thematic analysis was then carried out. The analysis gave rise to three themes: (1) The Construct of Creativity, (2) Resilience, & (3) Empowerment. These themes provided hypotheses for understanding the connection between neurodivergence and creativity. The results provided two hypotheses. The ‘innate trait hypothesis’ posits that traits thought to be intrinsic to neurodivergence may be beneficial in fostering creativity. The innate traits that arose were divergent thinking, monotropism and communication differences. The ‘social isolation hypothesis’ posits that the discrimination that neurodivergent people face leads to profound isolation and in some cases mental health challenges. Neurodivergent people may then use creativity as a method for regulating their emotions, providing solace from distress. Moreover, the isolation they experience provides an opportunity for introspection, which fuels creativity. Our results highlight that some neurodivergent traits, when placed within a creative context, can become strengths. This highlights the possibility that the pathologisation of neurodivergent traits is not just damaging but also invalid, with the reality being much more nuanced.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -