Sshh! There’s a genius at work

WE all find noise annoying – but if it really bothers you it could be because you’re a genius.

Being overly sensitive to sound could have been the key to the creativity of geniuses like Charles Darwin and Franz Kafka – who both complained of their difficulty of filtering out noise – research has revealed.

Scientists at Northwestern university, Illinois, tested 100 people on their ability to find original solutions to problems and found strong links between an inability to shut out irrelevant audio stimuli, dubbed ‘ leaky’ sensory gating, and creativity.

The findings, published in the journal Neuropsychologia, suggest those with the affliction might find it easier to think creatively as they can focus on a wide range of things simultaneously.

Lead author Darya Zabelina said: ‘These sensitivities can make life more rich and meaningful, giving experiences more subtlety.’