The Manic Idea Creator? A Review and Meta-Analysis of the Relationship Between Bipolar Disorder and Divergent Thinking Ability
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 4,670 screened hits identified 13 suitable studies, including a total of 42 effect sizes and 1,857 participants. The random-effects-model showed an overall significant, positive, yet diminutively small effect (d = 0.11, 95% CI: [0.002, 0.209], p = .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, subclinical, manic, or depressed. We discuss further results, especially regarding the differences between subclinical and clinical samples.