Debunking the Myth: Why Drugs and Alcohol Don't Make You More Creative

We’ve all heard the stories of famous artists and writers who supposedly needed drugs or alcohol to be creative. From Hunter S. Thompson’s daily routine of cocaine, Chivas Regal, and acid to Vincent Van Gogh’s love for absinthe, and Andy Warhol’s drug habit. But is there any truth behind the idea that drugs and alcohol inspire creativity?

According to recent research by scientists from the University of Essex and Berlin’s Humboldt University, the answer is no. They found that drugs such as alcohol, amphetamines, and psilocybin (magic mushrooms) don’t inspire creativity; instead, travel, exposure to culture, meditation, and training programs are more effective.

Dr. Paul Hanel from the University of Essex’s department of psychology said, “It doesn’t do anything for creativity. People don’t benefit from it – it just has no effect at all. What we hear about in the media is people who successfully enhance their creativity using drugs, but you don’t hear about the examples where someone took drugs and passed out, and therefore their creativity was lower.”

The researchers examined hundreds of papers to reach their conclusions, and an additional paper published following their work found that people who took psilocybin (popular for its creative effects in Silicon Valley) felt they were more creative while on the drug, but were actually underperforming relative to their sober state.

However, some artists would beg to differ with the scientists’ conclusions. Harry Styles said his latest album, Fine Line, was made while on mushrooms, which helped him be “fun and creative.” Electronic producer Jon Hopkins said the “crazy cosmic experiences” of psychedelics were one of the primary inspirations for his latest album.

Canadian singer-songwriter Lights said it was constructive not to “paint all ‘drugs’ with the same brush” and carefully explore their benefits and downsides. She has been alternating between three months of microdosing psilocybin and a three-month break to “accelerate the development of positive pathways while doing meditative or creative things,” which she finds helps her be in a peaceful rather than depressive state.

But she thought the role of drugs in creating art was often “romanticized,” when their misuse often reflected mental health issues. “The ‘troubled artist’ has been far more appealing in the past than the idea of an artist with a healthy mind.”

The research suggests that the romantic view of the artist-addict stems from a reaction to socially conservative post-war culture, and is increasingly a thing of the past. However, this doesn’t mean that some artists won’t continue to turn to drugs and alcohol for creative inspiration. As Bryan Saunders, an American artist who created 50 self-portraits under the influence of drugs, said, taking care of your mental health is key. He developed brain damage during his experiment and now only takes drugs prescribed by his doctor.

In the end, the research suggests that if you’re looking for true inspiration, it’s better to focus on exposure to culture, travel, training programs, and meditation. So, put down the bottle and hit the road and learn meditation!