The basic conclusion of the research (published in the March issue of the journal Neuropsychologia) is that individuals who are highly creative tend to be more easily distracted by noise than the average bear. The study found that people who possess what it terms a “leaky sensory gate” (or inability to filter out excess sensory information) may be more sensitive to noise or other interruptions because their brains are actually processing more information than people with ordinary brain power.
This type of hypersensitivity, the study’s authors conclude, may enhance such people’s creative ability because it serves to widen their scope of attention. That may enable highly-creative individuals to connect diverse bits of information in unconventional ways.
An example of this is famed French author Marcel Proust, who was a known recluse and seldom left his Paris apartment. He used earplugs when he wrote and drew his blinds and lined his walls with cork to eliminate unwanted light and noise.
Then again, the Northwestern researchers point out, a looser sensory filtering system, in addition to being present in highly creative brains, is also a known characteristic of schizophrenia. That may suggest something else about that highly creative boss or colleague who works most efficiently with the door shut.