The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (a Little) Craziness and (a Lot Of) Success in America

by John D. Gartner, Stephen R. Thorne (Narrator)

Hypomania, a genetically based mild form of mania, endows many of us with unusual energy, creativity, enthusiasm, and a propensity for taking risks. America has an extraordinarily high number of hypomanics--grandiose types who leap on every wacky idea that occurs to them, utterly convinced it will change the world. Market bubbles and ill-considered messianic crusades can be the downside. But there is an enormous upside in terms of spectacular entrepreneurial zeal, drive for innovation, and material success. Americans may have a lot of crazy ideas, but some of them lead to brilliant inventions. Bringing his audacious and persuasive thesis to life, Gartner offers case histories of some famous Americans who represent this phenomenon of hypomania. These are the real stories you never learned in school about some of those men who made Columbus, who discovered the continent, thought he was the messiah. John Winthrop, who settled and defined it, believed Americans were God's new chosen people. Alexander Hamilton, the indispensable founder who envisioned America's economic future, self-destructed because of pride and impulsive behavior. While these men are extraordinary examples, Gartner argues that many Americans have inherited the genes that have made them the most successful citizens in the world.

Genres: Business, Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, History

11 pages, Audio CD

First published March 1, 2005

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

READ THIS BOOK!

The content of this book was no surprise to me. A first generation immigrant, my father was the founder and CEO of what became the tenth largest residential construction company in the USA. He could have jumped directly from Gartner's book. So could all his business buddies. Being born and raised in what became Silicon Valley, what Gartner says is somewhat old hat to me. It's true! Not only that, I've heard a number of psychiatrists say they known it for ages. So, what should we hope for? A good dose of hypomania? The ability to look through society and see it's pathology? The realization that being crazy (a little crazy) can be a good thing? Yes. All of the above. When I was getting my MA in counseling, my profs pointed out that business leaders can be highly intuitive, just as mystics can. Interesting. I actually was rather annoyed with Gartner for bringing out his book. My new novel, coming out in early spring, 2009, hinges on Gartner's thesis. He beat my time. But there's room in this conversation for more than one.

[Michael Urias · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not what you expect

While this book briefly touches on hypomania....i was very disappointed that a majority of the book was biography of historical figures that may or may not have been hypomanic. I would not recommend this book

[CatReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. In the Hypomanic Edge, clinical psychologist specializing in bipolar disorder John Gartner writes extended vignettes about famous historical figures who he believed had -- drumroll please -- bipolar disorder. The book's title refers to hypomania, a high mood, high energy state characterized by decreased need for sleep, intense focus, creativity, impulsivity, hypersexuality, and grandiosity in their ideas and self-perceptions. Hypomania is not as severe as mania (which is characterized by a major deficit in social and occupational functioning and generally requires medication and often inpatient hospitalization) but is also not in the normal repertoire of moods of people without certain types of bipolar disorder, see image below:



As a healthcare provider (but not a psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, etc.), I generally feel uncomfortable at the notion of retrospectively or armchair diagnosing historical figures, the deceased, and people who haven't disclosed their diagnosis and whom you aren't personally being asked to diagnose with mental illness. Mental illness still carries a stigma, so many don't wish to disclose their diagnosis publicly and may face negative personal, social, or professional consequences for having or being speculated to have such a diagnosis. Most of the figures Gartner profiled are deceased, often long deceased, with the exception of his final profile, biotech entrepreneur Craig Venter, whom he interviewed extensively (though notably Venter doesn't seem to have publicly announced a mental illness diagnosis). For the deceased figures, it's clear Gartner did research by talking to biographers, living relatives who knew the individual, etc., rather than just relying on his own hypotheses; however it's clear the questions he asked those he interviewed were quite leading ("here's a list of traits of hypomanic behaviors, how strongly do you think your subject aligns with them?).

Gartner's hypothesis is that people who experience hypomanic episodes are evolutionarily selected for and have had a crucial role in American society, being leaders, entrepreneurs, daredevils, moguls, and innovators. The people who he profiles (all men) to support his hypothesis are:
- Christopher Columbus
- John Winthrop, Roger Williams and William Penn
- Alexander Hamilton
- Andrew Carnegie
- certain male members of the Selznick and the Mayer Hollywood families
- Craig Venter

I found the vignettes informative and well-presented, with the caveats described above. The book would have been more interesting had it included vignettes of famous women with possible hypomanic tendencies, as hypomania is not an exclusively male mental state.

My statistics:
Book 138 for 2024
Book 1741 cumulatively

[James Madsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

More readable, I think, than the more scholarly Exuberance (by Kay Redfield Jamison), John D. Gartner's The Hypomanic Edge is a very accessible explanation of the enthusiastic personality temperament correctly termed hyperthymia (and which Jamison is not incorrect in calling exuberance). Hypomania describes a relatively temporary elevation of mood rather than the long-term personality trait, and Gartner, a therapist, should have known better. Also, this work is not a rigorous scientific defense of his thesis that immigrants with a higher proportion of hyperthymian than those who stayed in the Old World have been a significant factor in American culture. However, his descriptions of well-known immigrants with the propensity to be high on life and to risk so much that they tend either to fail dramatically or to succeed beyond their wild expectations are fun to read and painted a picture that resonated with my own hyperthymia. A fun read!

[FAIZAN KHAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hypomania In Many Ways Gives You An Unfair Advantage in Life,
If You're Able To Manifest It In Productive Ways of Course!
Don't Let People Tag You With Terms Like "Hyper-Active" / "OCD" So on...
Instead Thank God With What He Blessed You With.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! In each chapter Gartner, a clinical psychologist, writes a biography for a different influential person of America's history. He writes about their life stories and ties in how their hypomanic tendencies led to their successes and failures. Even though this book was published in 2005, it still feels relevant for our world today. Five stars

[Charlie Mumford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written 👌👌👌👌

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book. It explained what it was trying to explain in a really good way. Me personally, I don't really think that a hypomanic edge is that good. From the many examples that the book gives, it seemed to me that being hypomanic had more downsides than upsides. That's why I don't rate the book so highly.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much to like here, particularly (for me) the author's perspective on Alexander Hamilton. Gartner's no writer and his chapters end on annoying, flowery notes. But the work is solid; sharper writing would have given it another star, but I still recommend it, given that caveat, to anyone.

[Henrik Haapala · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5
Hypomania = Hypomania is a mild form of mania, often found in the relatives of manic depressives. Hypomanics are brimming with infectious energy, irrational confidence, and really big ideas. They think, talk, move, and make decisions quickly. Anyone who slows them down with questions ”just doesn’t get it”. Hypomanics are not crazy, but ”normal” is not the first word that comes to mind when describing them. Hypomanics live on the edge, between normal and abnormal. P.2

"Yet without their irrational confidence, ambitious vision, and unstoppable zeal, these outrageous captains would never have sailed into unknown Waters, never discovered new Worlds, never changed the course of our history."

Examples in the book:
• Columbus; discovered America
• Prophets (Wintrop, Williams, Penn); populated it
• Alexander Hamilton; national future and economic potential
• Andrew Carnegie; industrial revolution and mass production
• Selznick and Mayer; Hollywood , media and a national self-image
• Craig Venter; cracked our genetic code

General points:
• About 5-10% hypomanic in a population
• Hypomania can give an edge over the competition, income, occupational achievement and creativity.
• Americans change residences every five years
• Americans frequently change jobs
• Americans work more hours than other people in the world
• Top three countries with the most manics: America, New Zealand and Canada – all nations of immigrants
• Hypomanics are suited to become immigrants because it requires a lot of energy, entails a lot of risk, and may seem daunting if you thought about it too much
• ”America has drawn hypomanics like a magnet.”

Entrepreneurial traits:
• Filled with energy
• Flooded with ideas
• Driven, restless, and unable to keep still
• Channels energy into the achievement of wildly grand ambitions
• Feels brilliant, special, chosen, perhaps even destined to change the world
• Euphoric
• Risk taker
• Little sleep
• Overspends
• Acts out sexually
• Sometimes impulsive with poor judgement in ways that can have painful consequences
• Fast-talking
• Witty and gregarious
• Confidence makes charismatic and persuasive
• Prone to making enemies and feelings of persecution by those who do not accept the mission and vision

DSM – IV (mania + hypomania):
A: A distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood, lasting at least one week.
B: And at least three of the following:
1. Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
2. Decreased need for sleep
3. More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
4. Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing
5. Distractibility
6. Increase in goal-directed activities/psychomotor agitation
7. Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences

[Domingo X · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the book was a good portrayal of how many entrepreneurs, especially those in the U.S., have a hypomanic edge to them. Always not an "exact" medical prognosis of these individuals, we can interpret that they did have a lot of energy and motivation towards their ambitions and objectives.

The case of Andrew Carnegie was the one I found the most fascinating and relevant. I did shed a tear when it was discussed how his father, uprooted from his home in Scotland, struggled to achieve the success he once had in Scotland. The day that Andrew came back from work to showcase his work promotion and pay raise, a raise that would be enough to lift the family out of poverty and into more comfortable livings. His father shed a tear in that moment, and always said to his son how proud he was of him until he passed. Andrew stated that this moment was the proudest of his life and I can agree. The reaction was one I never expected to hear, and made a emotional impact on me thinking of how he must've felt getting that from his father.

The collection of stories was a good one, and I generally felt receptive to the author's argument that the United States, born of a place where immigrants are seeking a better life, natural creates a entrepreneurial spirit and allows the U.S. to exceed beyond other economies in terms of innovation and development. However, I do feel that this book was one born of its era (the early 2000's), where the damages and criticisms of globalism and challenges to U.S. global authority weren't yet fully in force. With that being said, the rose-colored glasses of what the United States can provide rubbed me the wrong way in consideration of current events.

[Publius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting premise, and I largely agree with much of the book. I particularly liked the chapter on Alexander Hamilton, as, during my reading of Chernow's biography last year, I had very similar thoughts. Despite this, there are quite a lot of absolute statements I disagree with like "there is no doubt that Hamilton was a bipolar type II". Bipolar II Disorder has relatively poor interrater reliability among current psychiatrists who see and evaluate patients in person, and I can't imagine the accuracy of giving a retrospective diagnosis to a historical figure would reach that standard of confidence. The author also mentions that Napoleon and Hitler were the only historical figures crazy enough to invade Russia. Ummm... Charles XII? And the Mongols under Subutai (who actually won the campaign)?

I would also amend his use of "hypomania" or "hypomanic", which are characteristically episodic, to "hyperthymic". In fact, many of the historical figures he reviews were probably of a "hyperthymic temperament". There is a current validated scale for this - the TEMPS-A Scale: https://psychiatryletter.com/temps-sc...

Overall, a very entertaining read! 4/5

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure I completely agree with his thesis, which is that America naturally attracts hypomanic people to its shores, and it's because of this we are industrious. There are a lot of people who are very successful and exhibit none of the hypomanic traits described within this book. His point is also contradicted further when a lot of people through history who immigrated to America did so because they were facing total poverty at home, and needed a new beginning. Often entire towns would leave home and come to America out of need, not exactly a strange want that could be tied to 'hypomania,' though that is the case with a few of his examples.

I do recommend this book for the mere fact it is well written, and he treats his subjects with great care. It's a quick snapshot into the titans of America's past. I went in knowing little to nothing about Andrew Carnegie, Alexander Hamilton, and Jared Roach. They are fascinating individuals, and their personalities are oddly similar, which is the whole point of the book, I guess.

[Davis Falk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is more biography than its title promises. Don't get me wrong -- the biographies of successful hypomanics are compelling. But they are more historical than analytical. This is one of those non-fiction books that could be complete in fifty pages but was made 300 pages, presumably so it looked better on the shelf. There was a very poignant observation at the very end though, which brought together the information the author learned in writing the Craig Venter biography with the concept that hypomanic people can be very successful in part because of their hypomania. When it becomes possible for parents to alter the genetics of a child before birth, will it be wise to do so, particularly to eliminate the genes that cause hypomanic disorder? Would societies advance without hypomanic people like Christopher Columbus, James Hamilton, and Andrew Carnegie? We have some philosophical work that needs to be done soon.

[Zab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having the will—to change the world. Gartner works the edges of manic-depressive disorder to explore a lesser-known syndrome: hypomania, “a mild form of mania, often found in the relatives of manic depressives.” Hypomanics are full of ideas, energy, and sometimes insufferable self-confidence; they make decisions quickly, seldom look back, and generally view those who don’t get them as enemies or, at best, mere hindrances. They’re not mentally ill, but they’re close. 

We have a higher percentage of them than other countries because we are a nation of immigrants who were willing to take the risk to move to an unknown country and make better lives for themselves and their families.

Hypomanics are an important group in our society who spark an unusual level of creativity and productivity. American culture is unique in the world because ours is the only culture that encourages and accepts failure as necessary to achieve success.

[Enes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het boek een vrij interessante basis. Het legt goed uit waar "hypomania" voor staat en gebruikt ook goede bekende voorbeelden. Door alle verhalen vond ik het lastig om de pespectief van te schrijven te zien en achter zijn mening te komen. Ook vond ik dat er bepaalde voorbeelden te lang duurden.

Deze lange voorbeelden zorgen er wel weer voor dat je de ervaring van dat persoon meekrijgt waar je veel uit kan halen. Zelf ben ik hier geen fan van, waarschijnlijk ook omdat ik nooit zulke boeken lees.

Ter conclusie, heb ik niet echt een duidelijk mening over het boek. Het ligt echt aan of je gewend bent om zulke verhalen te lezen, dus zou ik het niet per se kunnen aanraden aan iedereen. You love it or you hate it. Vrij neutraal dus 3 sterren

[Enes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het boek een vrij interessante basis. Het legt goed uit waar "hypomania" voor staat en gebruikt ook goede bekende voorbeelden. Door alle verhalen vond ik het lastig om de pespectief van te schrijven te zien en achter zijn mening te komen. Ook vond ik dat er bepaalde voorbeelden te lang duurden.

Deze lange voorbeelden zorgen er wel weer voor dat je de ervaring van dat persoon meekrijgt waar je veel uit kan halen. Zelf ben ik hier geen fan van, waarschijnlijk ook omdat ik nooit zulke boeken lees.

Ter conclusie, heb ik niet echt een duidelijk mening over het boek. Het ligt echt aan of je gewend bent om zulke verhalen te lezen, dus zou ik het niet per se kunnen aanraden aan iedereen. You love it or you hate it. Vrij neutraal dus 3 sterren

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part psychology, part history, part self-help (for the brave of heart).

This ended up being a far more interesting book than I expected. It is essentially a case study of a few famous figures in American history who most likely had the Hypomanic condition. I hesitate to call it a disorder, but from the reading of this author's work it doesn't seem to far removed from manic-depressive disorder. That said, the world just wouldn't be the same without these hypomanic people. Sometimes, it takes that intense drive to pull humanity up to new heights.

Like many larger than life figures, it's often a love/hate relationship. But you can never call them boring. And neither was this book.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

An awkwardly written book about primarily historical figures from a non-historian. Primarily consists of speculation about notable figures' mental health state. For me, there was a pretty steep drop-off in quality in the last two chapters and I wasn't sure how the collection of people profiled had been selected. Also contains dated gender pronouns about generic successful people/entrepreneurs in America - who are all "he/him/his"

[Han · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt a lot like a history lesson, because of all the historical examples that were given in the book. However i quite liked this way of narration, because you can really see what a true hypomanic is. The book is in itself true, as the statements that it makes can be observed in the real world. Having said that it opens a new world and makes you think more deeply instead of on surface level.
Overall the book was a success!

[Sorosch Naderi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Het boek is een inspirerend boek dat je meeneemt op een reis door de wereld van succesvolle ondernemers/avonturiers. Het boek legt uit hoe hypomanie, een positieve en energieke mentaliteit, kan leiden tot creativiteit en initiatief. Het geeft voorbeelden van bekende mensen die vanuit deze positieve mentaliteit geweldige prestaties hebben geleverd. Met relevante verhalen motiveert "The Hypomanic Edge" je om je eigen ideeën in werkelijkheid te brengen.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read on various people who show evidence of Hypomania and how that affected them positively and negatively in their endeavors.

It has one person from each century of Westerners in America, starting with Columbus.

Interesting theory that Americans are different than those who didn't emigrate because of what it meant to be a person who wanted to emigrate.

[Fabian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shows that some „madness“ is essential for extraordinary results. Which makes logical sense, you can not expect different results than the masses if you act/ think the way they do. The introduction of the book pretty much sums the whole book up and saves you the time to read the whole thing.

[Edgar Orban · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe some people are truly blessed, couple of paragraphs gave me revelations and smiles.

Great book if you want to understand yourself better, probably not that great if you can't relate to these people.

[Sam Thompson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this purely for my friend who loves it because he thinks he's hypomanic and prob is. First few chapters drag, as well as the last chapter. I love the ones about Hamilton, Carnegie, and the Hollywood families.

[Art King · Rating 5 out of 5]

America, the land of immigrants where we are almost all descendants of crazies (The Sensible People Stayed Home). A compelling story that explains a lot about who we are.

[Ivo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read.

[Madhur Ahuja · Rating 3 out of 5]

The description, traits and behaviours of hypomanics is useful. Rest is the useless biography of the people having this disorder.

[Larkdesigns13 Assid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great history

Like many authors I wonder if this individual hasn’t taken an idea and used confirmation bias for all his subjects, but the history and subject matter are fascinating!

[Ryan Olito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing insight on how America got started, lead by “hypomanic” individuals, who by todays standards would be deemed “insane”, but without them, America as we know it would not exist.