Schizotypy, creativity and mating success in humans

There is an evolutionary puzzle surrounding the persistence of schizophrenia, since it is substantially heritable and associated with sharply reduced fitness. However, some of the personality traits which are predictive of schizophrenia are also associated with artistic creativity. Geoffrey Miller h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2006-03, Vol.273 (1586), p.611-615
Main Authors: Nettle, Daniel, Clegg, Helen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anhedonia
Creativity
Evolution
Female
Humans
Male
Mate Choice
Mating behavior
Personality traits
Phenotypic traits
Poetry
Poetry as Topic
Reproductive success
Schizophrenia
Schizotypal Personality Disorder
Schizotypy
Sexual Behavior
Sexual partners
Surveys and Questionnaires
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Summary:There is an evolutionary puzzle surrounding the persistence of schizophrenia, since it is substantially heritable and associated with sharply reduced fitness. However, some of the personality traits which are predictive of schizophrenia are also associated with artistic creativity. Geoffrey Miller has proposed that artistic creativity functions to attract mates. Here, we investigate the relationship between schizotypal personality traits, creative activity, and mating success in a large sample of British poets, visual artists, and other adults. We show that two components of schizotypy are positively correlated with mating success. For one component, this relationship is mediated by creative activity. Results are discussed in terms of the evolution of human creativity and the genesis of schizophrenia.
ISSN:0962-8452
1471-2954
DOI:10.1098/rspb.2005.3349