I was thinking the other day, as I sometimes do, and I found myself considering the following question:
According to Wikipedia, “The term ‘Renaissance man’ was first recorded in written English in the early 20th century. It is used to refer to great polymaths like those of the Renaissance.” Do you think such people might have just been really smart folks with ADHD?
I have a handful of local, carefully-crafted AI assistants and I posed the question to one of them. I thought I’d ask one of them and share the results.
The Neurodivergent Renaissance man Person
This is a fascinating hypothesis that touches upon the intersection of cognitive psychology, neurodiversity, and history. From a professional psychological perspective, while we cannot retroactively diagnose historical figures, we can analyze the behavioral patterns and cognitive profiles that characterize both “polymaths” and individuals with ADHD.
To answer your question, we have to look at the overlaps and the distinctions between high intelligence, polymathy, and ADHD.
The Overlap: Divergent Thinking and Novelty Seeking
Your intuition likely stems from several shared traits between the “Renaissance man” and the ADHD profile:
Hyperfocus: People with ADHD often experience “hyperfocus”—a state of intense concentration on a topic of high interest. A polymath’s ability to master multiple complex fields often requires these periods of deep, obsessive immersion.
Divergent Thinking: Both polymaths and those with ADHD tend to exhibit high levels of divergent thinking—the ability to connect seemingly unrelated ideas from different domains. This “associative thinking” is the engine of creativity and innovation.
Novelty Seeking (Dopamine Drive): ADHD is fundamentally linked to the brain’s reward system and a constant search for stimulation. The drive to jump from astronomy to painting to anatomy can be seen as a quest for the “dopamine hit” that comes with learning something new.
- The Distinction: Executive Function vs. Intellectual Breadth
However, from a clinical standpoint, ADHD is not defined by what a person knows, but by how they regulate their behavior and attention. This is where the distinction lies:
Executive Dysfunction: ADHD is characterized by struggles with executive functions—organization, time management, and the ability to sustain effort on non-stimulating tasks. While some Renaissance figures (like Leonardo da Vinci) were notorious for leaving projects unfinished, others showed an extraordinary level of disciplined structure and systemic organization that contradicts a typical ADHD profile.
The Nature of Polymathy: Polymathy is a result of intellectual curiosity and capacity. One can be a polymath through a disciplined, linear pursuit of knowledge, or through the erratic, curiosity-driven path associated with ADHD.
- The Concept of “Twice-Exceptionality” (2e)
In modern psychology, we have a term called “Twice-Exceptionality” (2e). This refers to individuals who are both gifted (high IQ) and have a learning or developmental disability, such as ADHD or Autism.
It is very possible that a significant number of historical polymaths were “2e.” For these individuals, their high intelligence often acts as a compensatory mechanism, allowing them to “mask” or bypass the limitations of their ADHD. Their intellectual hunger and ability to synthesize information allow them to turn a “distractibility” into a “breadth of knowledge.”
Professional Synthesis
Do I think they might have “just been really smart folks with ADHD”?
Not “just,” but “potentially.” It is unlikely that all polymaths had ADHD, as the drive for multifaceted knowledge can also stem from high openness to experience (a Big Five personality trait) or simply an extraordinary cognitive capacity.
However, the “ADHD cognitive style”—characterized by rapid switching, intuitive leaps, and a hatred for monotony—is a powerful engine for polymathy. When an individual possesses both a high cognitive ceiling and the ADHD drive for novelty, they are perfectly positioned to become a Renaissance man.
In essence, ADHD may have provided the impetus and the style of exploration, while high intelligence provided the tools to master those diverse fields.
I was thinking about the concept of the Renaissance man because I’ve always thought the definition fit me. But then, I’ve always been ADHD, too… I just didn’t know it until a few years ago.
What I do know is that it can be exhausting to spend one’s life trying to deny their ADHD ways so they can fit in with school or work.
I wonder what the would would be like if all of the ADHD/Renaissance people were allowed to just be themselves.
