Study confirms that people with ADHD can be more creative. The reason may be that they let their mind wander

European College of Neuropsychopharmacology

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New research confirms that ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) can be linked to increased creativity and suggests that this creativity is associated with a greater tendency to let your mind wander. This first study to explain the link between ADHD and creativity, is presented at the ECNP congress in Amsterdam.

Lead researcher Han Fang (from the Radboud University Medical Centre, the Netherlands) said:

“Previous research pointed to mind wandering as a possible factor linking ADHD and creativity, but until now no study has directly examined this connection. We conducted two studies, utilising 2 different groups of ADHD patients and healthy controls, one from a European group curated by the ECNP, and a second study from a UK group. In total there were 750 participants. Separately analysing results from 2 independent groups means that we can have greater confidence in the results”.

 

The researchers examined the correlations between ADHD characteristics,  creativity, and functional impairments and the role of mind wandering in those links. Both patient groups showed classic ADHD characteristics, such as lack of attention, impulsivity, and the tendency to let one’s mind wander away from the subject in hand. Both studies showed that more ADHD symptoms were correlated with more mind wandering.

 

Mind wandering is defined as shifting attention away from the task at hand toward internally generated thoughts. Everyone is subject to a certain amount of mind wandering, but this is seen more in people with ADHD.

 

Han Fang added:

 

“Previous researchers have been able to distinguish two different types of mind wandering. It can be a loss of concentration, where your mind may drift from subject to subject. This is ‘spontaneous mind-wandering’.  Another type is ‘deliberate mind wandering’, where people give themselves the freedom to drift off-subject, where they ‘allow their thoughts to take a different course’. Psychiatrists have developed ways of measuring how much people are subject to these different tendencies”.

 

The researchers also measured creativity in both groups (there are standards ways of measuring this, for example by asking people to find  a creative use for an everyday object). They then looked at how creativity was associated with the different types of mind wandering.  

 

Dr Han Fang said:

 

“We found that people with more ADHD traits such as lack of attention, hyperactivity, or impulsivity, score higher on creative achievements in both studies. This supports previous research. Additionally, we found that mind wandering, particularly deliberate mind wandering, where people allow their “thoughts to wander on purpose”, was associated with greater creativity in people with ADHD. This suggests that mind wandering may be an underlying factor connecting ADHD and creativity.

 

This may have practical implications, for both psychoeducation and treatment. For psychoeducation, specially designed programs or courses that teach individuals how to utilize their spontaneous ideas, for example turning them into creative outputs, could help individuals with ADHD traits harness the benefits of mind wandering. For treatment, ADHD-tailored mindfulness-based interventions that seek to decrease spontaneous mind wandering or transform it into more deliberate forms may reduce functional impairments and enhance treatment outcomes. This is the first time this link has been investigated, so we need to see more studies which confirm the findings”.

 

Commenting, K.P. Lesch (Professor of Molecular Psychiatry, University of Würzburg, Germany) said

"Mind wandering is one of the critical resources on which the remarkable creativity of high-functioning ADHD individuals is based. This makes them such an incredibly valuable asset for our society and the future of our planet”.

ENDS

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Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

COI Statement

H.F. is supported by the China Scholarship Council (grant number 202208430007). C.G. is supported by an Aspasia grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO, grant number 015.015.070). M.H. is supported by personal Veni and Vidi grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO, grant numbers 91619115 & 09150172210069). M.H. has received a speaker fee from Medice. All other authors declare no other conflicting interests.

 

National Association of School Nurses reaffirms strong support for school immunization requirements

Updated statement underscores the life-saving role of vaccines and calls for stronger, science-based immunization requirements.

SAGE

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The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) today released its updated position statement, Immunization and Vaccination Requirements, underscoring the essential role of timely, up-to-date, and complete vaccinations in protecting school-age youth, staff, and communities from preventable, serious infectious diseases.

NASN calls for school immunization requirements to be aligned with the best available scientific evidence and recommends eliminating vaccine exemptions, except in cases of validated medical contraindications.

“Immunizations save lives, reduce illness, and keep students healthy, safe, and ready to learn,” said Lynn Nelson, MSN, RN, NCSN, NASN President. “School nurses are trusted leaders in addressing vaccine hesitancy, correcting misinformation, and supporting families to ensure every child has access to the protection vaccines provide.”

The updated statement highlights:

• The critical importance of evidence-based school immunization requirements.
• The role of school nurses in improving vaccination coverage and addressing hesitancy.
• The need for equitable access to vaccines for all school-age children.
• The elimination of non-medical vaccine exemptions to protect public health.

School nurses remain at the forefront of vaccination efforts—reinforcing requirements, tracking immunization records, supporting families with catch-up schedules, and leading school-based vaccination clinics.

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Journal

The Journal of School Nursing

DOI

10.1177/10598405251386074 

Method of Research

Commentary/editorial

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

National Association of School Nurses (NASN) Position Statement: Immunization and Vaccination Requirements

Article Publication Date

7-Oct-2025

 

Kinsey Institute study shows lasting impact of limited sex education on adult relationships

44% of U.S. adults believe additional sex education would have led to healthier romantic relationships

Kinsey Institute

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A new Kinsey Institute study has found gaps in sex education can have lasting impacts throughout adulthood, including relationship struggles, lack of confidence, and reduced quality of life.

Surveying 3,895 U.S. single adults (aged 18 to 98 years) on 16 topics typically included in comprehensive sex education programs, researchers found approximately a third never received any kind of information about healthy relationships, consent, communicating with partners, pleasure, or dating during their youth from any source, including school, family, friends, or somewhere else. 

Only one of the 16 assessed topics was learned about in school by a majority of participants, with 55% stating they covered reproduction or pregnancy. Other topics participants most commonly learned in school included puberty (44%), preventing or testing for STIs (43%), and contraception (41%). Very few learned about consent (17%), gender (12%), or healthy relationships (7%) in school. The least covered topics related how to make you or your partner feel good and communicate about what you want, which were all around 4%.

More than 90% of participants reported receiving additional information would have created a positive impact in their lives today. Specifically, a large proportion of participants said that better sex education would have led to healthier romantic relationships (44%), a better understanding of how to be a good partner (40%), improved sexual confidence (40%), a better quality of life (35%), and a better understanding of their own body (29%).

To date, sex education research has largely focused on youth and adolescents, rather than adults. However, these results demonstrate that comprehensive sex education is important for supporting healthy romantic and sexual relationships throughout adulthood. In addition, this study indicates substantial demand for better information among adults and opportunities to close the information gap later in life. Evidence-based resources, such as the Crash Course Sex Ed online program developed in collaboration with the Kinsey Institute, are one way adults can access free, credible information later in life to address their gaps in learning. 

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Journal

International Journal of Sexual Health

DOI

10.1080/19317611.2025.2566816 

Method of Research

Survey

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

If I Only Knew Then: Single Adults’ Perceptions of the Impact of Sex Education on Their Romantic and Sexual Lives

Article Publication Date

9-Oct-2025

 

U-M center launches its 2025 sustainability factsheets, featuring two all-new entries

The Center for Sustainable Systems has released its 2025 collection of factsheets, which now include sheets dedicated to artificial intelligence and the Great Lakes

University of Michigan

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The Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan has published its annual update to the CSS Factsheets, featuring nearly 2,000 facts and 144 graphics related to sustainability issues. 

CSS, which is part of the School for Environment and Sustainability, or SEAS, has also unveiled two all-new factsheets in the 2025 edition: one focused on artificial intelligence and another on the Great Lakes.

The collection features 34 factsheets with information gathered from more than 1,270 reputable sources to provide access to accurate and up-to-date information about a variety of topics: energy, water, climate change, transportation, environmental justice and many more. That list now includes artificial intelligence and the Great Lakes, the largest freshwater lake system on Earth. 

The center's co-directors, Greg Keoleian and Shelie Miller, said they are excited about this year’s launch of the two new factsheets along with the many updates to the existing ones. The project was supervised and curated by Geoff Lewis, CSS lead research specialist, and completed by graduate student intern Christabel Akhigbe. 

"With this collection, you can explore sustainability problems and solutions from unique systems perspectives. The key strategies to improve transportation, the built environment, energy, water and food systems that we all rely on are well documented,” Keoleian said. "Given that many threats such as climate change are intensifying, our hope is that the collection will motivate students, households, communities, businesses, policymakers and others to take action."

Launched in 2001, the factsheets present data on patterns of use, life-cycle impacts and sustainable solutions. Viewed more than 500,000 times in 2024, the factsheets are a trusted source for news outlets, businesses, educational institutions, congressional aides and anyone else looking for concise, accurate information.

SEAS graduate students update the factsheets annually and the collection is provided as a fee-free public service. The work is supported by CSS, SEAS and the generosity of donors who contribute to the Fund the Facts campaign. These contributions help expand the factsheets by supporting graduate student interns.