Creativity, genetics and mental illness

Gabora's scenario for the origin of culture pays careful attention to the mechanisms which lead to the development of the memetic" mind. A genetic mutation, which results in changes in the threshold of filtering of information units, is thought to be at the origin of the "memetic" mind. Such a mutation might favour unusual mental associations, leading potentially both to behavioural disorders like schizophrenia, and to facilitated creative solutions. A mutation capable of producing behavioural problems in individuals, however, can result in an adaptive advantage only if it produces effects which, beyond this disadvantage at the individual level, are beneficial to the group to which the mutated member belongs. It is difficult for memetic minds to prevail outside those groups benefiting directly from their mutated creative potential. The scenario proposed by Gabora suggests that any hypothesis about the origin of culture as a process subject to selection should pay attention to the neurophysiological fundamentals of brain functioning.