Giftedness & Distraction Linked

According to American researchers, distraction in creative individuals is caused by the inability to filter out unnecessary information. According to the staff at Northwestern University, who conducted an experiment involving more than 100 volunteers, this prevents them from focusing on details.

Firstly, the experiment group was tested for divergent thinking to assess their creative potential. After that, the study participants were given the concentration task, the results of which revealed a pattern: the more talented the person is, the harder it is for him/her to focus on details.

“Talented people” absorb “all the knowledge, even the knowledge that will not come in handy later. The researchers concluded that, on the one hand, this feature helps them to accumulate creative ideas, but on the other hand, it causes increased distraction.

Currently, they are not ready to say whether distraction is typical of all the “humanitarians”, who have a pronounced talent. The fact is that the ability to filter information may depend on the specific situation.