Genius, Lunatics, and Poets: Mental Illness in Prize-Winning Authors

Abstract

The links between mental illness and the creative arts, especially creative writing, are well-established, if controversial. Several studies have found more mental illness in creative writers than in control groups; few studies, however, have investigated the truly eminent, genius-level writers. To address the question of how genius-level writers compare to merely accomplished writers, two historiometric studies examined writers who won the Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize. Study One examined 986 20th century writers, while Study Two 889 American writers from the 17th century to the present day. In both studies, both types of prize-winners were more likely to suffer from mental illness than non-winners. In addition, Nobel Prize winners were more likely to suffer from alcoholism (Study One) and experience a personal tragedy (Study Two). Implications and theoretical possibilities are discussed.