In my own personal experience, the answer is a very resounding NO, and unless others experience depression differently from me, I can't imagine anybody saying "yes".
When not depressed, I am able to dive deep into an intellectual problem and probe it from different angles, leading to creative solutions. When depressed, I have difficulty even concentrating on a topic and creativity is lost. Furthermore, when not depressed, my mind constantly works on problems (the proverbial shower ideas); when depressed, that stops dead.
Maybe there is some other definition of "thinks better" that I don't understand, but for me with my definition, absolutely not.
Maybe there is some other definition of "thinks better" that I don't understand...
Well, there is a passage from the article, which frames it specifically in terms of thinking about social relationships:
“I started thinking about how, even if you are depressed for a few months, the depression might be worth it if it helps you better understand social relationships,” Andrews says
Except (and I'm speaking extremely anecdotally here!) my relationships suffer because I start projecting my feelings onto other people's actions. Have to cancel a get together? It must be because the thought of spending time with me is too burdensome.
Given the black-tinted glasses, relationship understanding is one of the first things out the door.
What gets missed is that questions need answers. You might be more willing to ask questions, but you need to answer them differently, too. What you're talking about is a negative loop in which you answer the same question in the same way every time, which keeps you stuck in the same place. This is, essentially, what non-depressed friends are for when you're depressed: they can offer different answers and help you break out of the loop.
When not depressed, I am able to dive deep into an intellectual problem and probe it from different angles, leading to creative solutions. When depressed, I have difficulty even concentrating on a topic and creativity is lost. Furthermore, when not depressed, my mind constantly works on problems (the proverbial shower ideas); when depressed, that stops dead.
Maybe there is some other definition of "thinks better" that I don't understand, but for me with my definition, absolutely not.