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Despite all the negative presumptions that exist around substance use, there is a persistent idea that substance use makes people more creative that is deeply ingrained in our society, especially in the art world. This notion comes from the numerous artists who are famously users of drugs, leading people to conclude that the common correlation between the two is actually causation. For example, many attribute the drastic changes to the music of the Beatles to the band’s experimentation with LSD.
This misconception is often perpetuated by the artists themselves, as some creative people prefer to work while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, claiming their creative output is better while inebriated. Because of this, many young creatives turn to substances, hoping that it will help them create in the same way the artists they idolize do. Yet this popular belief is not backed by scientific evidence and likely came to be due to some variables that link creative people to substances.
When it comes to cannabis, there is little evidence backing the idea that it promotes creativity. In fact, there is more evidence that it harms creativity. A 2014 psychological study from Leiden University showed that heavy cannabis use impaired divergent thinking.
A 2017 study from Consciousness and Cognition showed that while alcohol can increase creative problem-solving, it does not affect an aspect of creativity called divergent thinking. Even the slight increase in creative problem-solving is offset by how executive control is impaired by alcohol, which impacts your ability to organize your creative thoughts in a way that is digestible to others.
The one drug type that may have some positive impacts on creativity is psychedelics, but even in this case, the evidence is spotty. A psychiatric study published in Translational Psychiatry in 2021 showed some increases in aspects of creative thinking both during and after the use of psilocybin, a psychedelic prodrug. This study gave its participants a microdose of the substance, and the results suggested that the impacts on creativity from psychedelics don’t come from the “trip” itself but from the neuroplasticity that the substance promotes. The study concluded that while effects on participants’ creativity may have occurred, there were more variables involved.
The point stands that there is not enough solid evidence to indicate that intoxication promotes creativity. Artists may incorrectly come to this conclusion because they feel heightened sensation while under the influence.
But if there is no causational effect of substance use on creative insight, there must be something else causing this link, as substance use and the art world are still deeply intertwined. Many revered writers like Charles Dickens, Hunter S. Thompson and Ernest Hemingway used drugs. When it comes to the music world, the link is even stronger – especially in the genre of rock and roll, which has a historical relationship with the beginning of pro-substance social movements.
What has led to this connection may be correlating factors that link substance use and creative people, none of which have anything to do with creative insight being gained from the substance use itself. Those who take emotional refuge in the world of the imaginary may also look to escape reality in other ways, including seeking an altered state.
For anyone looking to become more creative, there are science-backed solutions that mostly involve taking care of your physical and mental health. Being mentally well and getting proper sleep are crucial to cultivating a high creative output, and risky substance use can impact your ability to do these things.
