Associative Thinking

Associative thinking is when your thoughts link together through personal, emotional, or creative connections — rather than through step-by-step logic. It’s like your brain follows a trail of “this reminds me of that” instead of “this causes that.”

For example, thinking about a song might remind you of a childhood memory, which brings up a specific smell, which sparks an idea for a story — all within seconds. To others, it might look like your mind is jumping around, but it’s following a pattern that makes sense to you.

This kind of thinking is common in neurodivergent people, particularly those with ADHD or autism. It can lead to incredible creativity, humour, and insight — though it might also make traditional tasks or conversations feel harder to structure.

Associative thinking isn’t “distracted” or “messy” — it’s just a different, often more intuitive, way of connecting ideas.