IntroductionThe concept of affective states influencing creativity can be found as far back as the writings of Aristotle, in his words: "No great mind ever existed without a touch of madness . » Exploration of this concept can be found in early studies conducted by Andreasen (1988), Jamison (1995) and Ludwig (1988). These researchers indicate high levels of emotional disorders among people who have achieved literary eminence. A multitude of studies comparing the role of affective states to genetics, cognition, personality, and intelligence propose that affective disorders systematically contribute to higher rates of creativity (Should I list all the studies or can this be stated in a broad context without citations)?) Glazer (2009) believes that differences in personality, cognition and behavior are non-linear fluctuations and that creativity can exist on a continuum (2009). This view complicates the comparison of creativity with bipolar disorder which also exists on a continuum. According to Ludwig (1988), the creativity of eminent people does not often transfer to non-eminent people. In contrast, everyday creativity, found in real-life activities, among a diverse group of people, more realistically describes lesser creativity (Richards, Kinney, Benet, Merzel, 1988). Considering that creativity lacks a clear definition, common questions exist: “how to define and how to measure creativity?” » What was once called the mad genius, the manic depressive or the melancholic is now classified within a spectrum of emotional or mood disorders as listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). (Is this common knowledge or should I quote?). Bipolar disorder is a continuum of moods ranging from manic states...... middle of article ......ychological Reports, 77, 3, 907-910.Strong, CM, Nowakowska, C., Santosa, CM, Wang, PW, Kraemer, HC, & Ketter, TA (2007). Temperament-creativity relations in patients with mood disorders, healthy controls, and highly creative individuals. Journal of Affective Disorders. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2006.10.015Soeiro-de-Souza, MG, Dias, VV, Bio, DS, Post, RM & Moreno, RA (2011). Creativity and executive function across manic, mixed, and depressive episodes of bipolar I disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2011.06.024Srivasta, S., Childers, ME, Hyun Baek, JH, Strong, CM, Hill, SJ, Warsett, KS, & Ketter, TA (2010). Toward the interplay of affective and cognitive contributors to creativity in bipolar disorder: A controlled study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 125, 27-34. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2009.12.018