The term "skunk works" is surprisingly nothing to do with cannabis
though this drug has often been associated with creativity. Skunk works
was the nick name given to the advanced R&D division of one the US
aircraft manufacturers. I think it was Lockheed. They developed the
SR-71 Blackbird, still the fastest proper aeroplane in the world.
This ramble from the BBC explains all.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10154775
"
Creativity is akin to insanity, say scientists who have been studying
how the mind works.
Brain scans reveal striking similarities in the thought pathways of
highly creative people and those with schizophrenia.
Both groups lack important receptors used to filter and direct thought.
It could be this uninhibited processing that allows creative people to
"think outside the box", say experts from Sweden's Karolinska Institute.
In some people, it leads to mental illness.
But rather than a clear division, experts suspect a continuum, with some
people having psychotic traits but few negative symptoms.
Art and suffering
Some of the world's leading artists, writers and theorists have also had
mental illnesses - the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh and American
mathematician John Nash (portrayed by Russell Crowe in the film A
Beautiful Mind) to name just two.
Creativity is known to be associated with an increased risk of
depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
The thalamus channels thoughts
Similarly, people who have mental illness in their family have a higher
chance of being creative.
Associate Professor Fredrik Ullen believes his findings could help
explain why.
He looked at the brain's dopamine (D2) receptor genes which experts
believe govern divergent thought.
He found highly creative people who did well on tests of divergent
thought had a lower than expected density of D2 receptors in the
thalamus - as do people with schizophrenia.
The thalamus serves as a relay centre, filtering information before it
reaches areas of the cortex, which is responsible, amongst other things,
for cognition and reasoning.
"Fewer D2 receptors in the thalamus probably means a lower degree of
signal filtering, and thus a higher flow of information from the
thalamus," said Professor Ullen.
He believes it is this barrage of uncensored information that ignites
the creative spark.
This would explain how highly creative people manage to see unusual
connections in problem-solving situations that other people miss.
Schizophrenics share this same ability to make novel associations. But
in schizophrenia, it results in bizarre and disturbing thoughts.
UK psychologist and member of the British Psychological Society Mark
Millard said the overlap with mental illness might explain the
motivation and determination creative people share.
"Creativity is uncomfortable. It is their dissatisfaction with the
present that drives them on to make changes.
"Creative people, like those with psychotic illnesses, tend to see the
world differently to most. It's like looking at a shattered mirror. They
see the world in a fractured way.
"There is no sense of conventional limitations and you can see this in
their work. Take Salvador Dali, for example. He certainly saw the world
differently and behaved in a way that some people perceived as very odd.
He said businesses have already recognised and capitalised on this
knowledge.
Some companies have "skunk works" - secure, secret laboratories for
their highly creative staff where they can freely experiment without
disrupting the daily business.
Chartered psychologist Gary Fitzgibbon says an ability to "suspend
disbelief" is one way of looking at creativity.
"When you suspend disbelief you are prepared to believe anything and
this opens up the scope for seeing more possibilities.
"Creativity is certainly about not being constrained by rules or
accepting the restrictions that society places on us. Of course the more
people break the rules, the more likely they are to be perceived as
'mentally ill'."
He works as an executive coach helping people to be more creative in
their problem solving behaviour and thinking styles.
"The result is typically a significant rise in their well being, so as
opposed to creativity being associated with mental illness it becomes
associated with good mental health."
"
"
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