The Benefits of ADHD

Here are some of the ADHD benefits that someone may experience:

Hyperfocus

Hyperfocusing is a state where an individual with ADHD can focus on a task for hours on end, essentially tuning out everything around them. It often happensTrusted Source if the individual is doing a job that they enjoy and find interesting.

While hyperfocusing, the person can improve their performance, meaning they work even more efficiently. This process allows them to complete a task without any distractions, and the outcome is often of great quality.

Resilience

Teachers view more than half of all children with ADHD as resilient. Living with ADHD comes with many challenges that those with ADHD must work against every day. These difficulties could mean that individuals with ADHD may experience setbacks and adversity, which they must overcome.

Experiencing these obstacles, and working past them, means that people with ADHD are able to build up resilience because they have practiced recovering from setbacks more often than other individuals. While this may seem like a double-edged sword, overcoming obstacles and challenges and building resilience in this way can lead to a strong character and prove beneficial in many cases.

Another study highlights the constant self-awareness that people with ADHD must have. They must be careful to not be overstimulated or bored, and find that balance in the middle, which again leads to greater self-awareness and therefore resilience. It is a form of self-protective strength, which again, can allow individuals to flourish.

Creativity

Those with ADHD are often highly creative, especially when given a goal-oriented task. Living with ADHD also requires people to approach tasks differently, which means they can become great problem solvers. Those with ADHD often think of unusual solutions because of their different perspectives.

Conversational skills and humanity

People with ADHD are often great conversationalists. This ability applies especially to those who have more of the inattentive type of ADHD.

Those with ADHD are often talkativeTrusted Source, which means that they can spark an intriguing conversation in most scenarios.

Another study highlights that people with ADHD may have higher levels of social intelligence, humor, and recognition of feeling, or empathy. Study participants recognized their own ability to have a more positive mental approach, and in turn, more “social success.”

Spontaneity and courage

Many people enjoy the unplanned moments and adventures that keep life interesting, and individuals with ADHD excel in this area.

Their impulsive nature lends itself to spontaneous activities that often leave enjoyable and lasting memories. People with ADHD are not afraid to do whatever they enjoy at the moment without concerning themselves with long-term implications or overthinking situations.

Research suggests that this spontaneity can often lead people with ADHD to seek out thrill and adventure, with the added courage they gain from that spontaneity.

High energy

One of the defining aspects trusted sources of ADHD is hyperactivity. While most people think of this negatively in terms of disruption to classmates or work colleagues, hyperactivity means that those with ADHD are excellent at sports and other physical activities. They have plenty of energy to burn and thrive in an environment where movement is advantageous and encouraged. This can have numerous positive impacts on a person’s life.

Why are they sometimes called superpowers?

Many people view the benefits of ADHD as “superpowers” because they are additional skills that their neurotypical counterparts do not have. ADHD gifts people a unique perspective on the world that those without ADHD are unlikely to understand.

For example, not everyone has the ability to hyperfocus. When an individual with ADHD enters this state, they can spend the time extremely productively and accomplish amazing things.

Moreover, the boundless energy that some individuals living with ADHD puts them at an advantage when performing physical activities. Often they can outlast everyone around them. There are numerous elite athletes with ADHD, and perhaps the condition has allowed them to excel.

Michael Jordan, for example, generally considered the greatest basketball player in history, is one such athlete with ADHD.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the combination of hyperactivity and the ability to hyperfocus on certain tasks, such as training, can allow some athletes to develop their skills to another level.