Magicians less prone to mental illness than other creatives

Magicians less prone to mental illness than other creatives – study

Nov 15, 2023

Magicians are less likely to experience mental health challenges than other creatives, according to a new study.

Researchers at Aberystwyth University say there is growing evidence of a link between those challenges and creativity.

But new research led by the university has been published in the journal BJPsych Open which shows magicians are “an exception”.

The psychological traits of 195 magicians and 233 people from the general population were measured in the study.

These were then compared with data from other creative groups, including artists, musicians and comedians.

Magicians were less likely to have unusual experiences, such as hallucinations, compared to all other creatives.

The mental health profiles of magicians were found to be most similar to those of mathematicians and scientists.

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Dr Gil Greengross from the Department of Psychology at Aberystwyth University said there had been a “common perception that many creative people have mental illnesses”.

“This is the first study to show a creative group with lower scores on psychotic traits than the general population,” he said.

“Our research shows that members of at least one creative group, magicians, do not exhibit higher levels of mental disorders.

“The results demonstrate that the association between creativity and psychopathology is more complex than previously thought.”

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