The Manic Idea Creator? A Review and Meta-Analysis of the Relationship between Bipolar Disorder and Creative Cognitive Potential

Boris Forthmann (), Karin Kaczykowski, Mathias Benedek and Heinz Holling
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Boris Forthmann: Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
Karin Kaczykowski: Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
Mathias Benedek: Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
Heinz Holling: Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 13, 1-39

Abstract: Even though a relationship between psychopathology and creativity has been postulated since the time of ancient Greece, systematic meta-analyses on this topic are still scarce. Thus, the meta-analysis described here can be considered the first to date that specifically focuses on the relationship between creative potential, as measured by divergent thinking, and bipolar disorder, as opposed to psychopathology in general. An extensive literature search of 4670 screened hits identified 13 suitable studies, including a total of 42 effect sizes and 1857 participants. The random-effects model showed an overall significant, positive, yet diminutively small effect ( d = 0.11, 95% CI: [0.002, 0.209], p = 0.045) between divergent thinking and bipolar disorder. A handful of moderators were examined, which revealed a significant moderating effect for bipolar status, as either euthymic ( d = 0.14, p = 0.043), subclinical ( d = 0.17, p = 0.001), manic ( d = 0.25, p = 0.097), or depressed ( d = −0.51, p < 0.001). However, moderator analyses should be treated with caution because of the observed confounding of moderators. Finally, none of the employed methods for publication-bias detection revealed any evidence for publication bias. We discuss further results, especially regarding the differences between subclinical and clinical samples.

Keywords: bipolar disorder; creativity; divergent thinking; creative cognitive potential; meta-analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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