Although the word ‘neurotic’ tends to be pushed aside as a label for people that are uptight or control-freaks, scientists have discovered a diamond in the rough when it comes to behavior profiles.

Researchers recently unveiled a claim that they now, through a recent study, understand more the link between neurotics and why they think so much to the undeniable truth that they also tend to be highly creative, according to NYC Today.

Previous studies have also made the connection between creativity and neurotic unhappiness, but never before has anybody made that specific connection of why this happens and how it happens in the brain.

The new study that was published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences has revealed some very strong hypothesis around this link. Researchers said that neurotics fester on problems, digging hard into their causes and all of the possible negative outcomes they might produce, playing these scenarios over and over in their head which causes them to be overwhelmed with worry.

When the researchers saw the results of brain scans from people who are good at negative thinking it showed that there was a higher activity in certain parts of the medial prefrontal cortex. This region of the human brain is connected to conscious perception of threat and danger.

The lead author of the study, Dr. Adam Perkins, also a researcher at King’s College, said, “If you can self-generate a plentiful supply of negative thoughts from an overactive brain you can experience intense negative emotions even when there is no threat present”.

He pointed out an example of Isaac Newton who was a known neurotic worrier and who also make leaps and bounds with his creative breakthroughs.

The study linked the part of the brain associated with self-generated thoughts that is overactive in neurotic people that tends to lead to unhappiness, also pushes them to become great, creative problem-solvers. In other words, their suffering filled with anxiety and depression throughout their entire lives also has the high possibility of yielding positive solutions to impossible problems thanks to their deep-thinking and over-analyzing of situations.