Yes, research has revealed that some people do, indeed, have higher intelligence than others. This was established unequivocally by Bouchard and others during the 1990’s in their study of identical twins who were raised in different environments. Since the twins in Bouchard’s Minnesota study were raised apart, no part of the correlation in the IQ …
How come some people are so smart and others not; is it genetic? Read More »
Reading, in itself, is a cognitive activity that involves the interpretation of script and its translation into concepts. So there is an inherent stimulation of the brain during the process of reading. Some recent research suggests that there is more mental activity involved in reading, than in the more passive observation of a television screen, …
Can reading too much fiction be detrimental to the brain? Read More »
What follows is a long answer to a short question, but it may be needed to provide a perspective. To gain an insight into the underlying motivations in human behavior, it is useful to examine a predominant theory of our evolution as a species. In the early stages of our existence, we survived as hunter-gatherers …
This is the last of a 3-part story that investigates what we have learned from three athletic “phenoms” about the brain and its adaptability during its period of greatest neuron growth. In Part 1, we looked at the early life of soccer star Pelé, and examined the flow state he experienced, during his moments of …
What Have We Learned About The Brain From The Athletic Phenoms? Part 3 Of A 3-Part Story Read More »
In What have we learned about the brain from the Athletic Phenoms? Part 1 of a 3-part story, we observed that the once-in-a-generation “phenoms” who emerge in the sports world have early-life commonalities that suggest something about our acquired intelligence. In that post, we looked at the legendary athletic performance of Pelé, the soccer superstar …
What have we learned about the brain from the Athletic Phenoms? Part 2 of A 3-part story Read More »
Sports psychologists are recognizing that excellence in sports is more mental than physical. Arnold Schwarzenegger, seven-time winner of the Mr. Olympia title, who built one of the greatest physiques through gruelling workouts, once observed, “When the going gets tough, it’s always the mind that fails first, not the body.” Indeed, it’s the mind that drives …
What have we learned about the brain from the Athletic Phenoms? Part 1 of A 3-part story Read More »
Exceptionality in any domain poses challenges and problems, because the world is designed to accommodate those of average height, of average size and average intellect. Tall people find themselves squashed into airline seats made for those of average size, while short people may have difficulty reaching the overhead storage compartment for their luggage. Clothing stores …
A study, titled One Personality Trait Distinguishes Gifted People, and reported in Psychology Today on November 14, 2021, looked at correlations between giftedness and the Big 5 traits (Extraversion, Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience, Neuroticism and Agreeableness). They found the following:* • Giftedness seems like a blessing but may be a burden. • Gifted individuals have learning differences, including …
If we look at the ten wealthiest people in the world, they see people of very high IQ. Steve Jobs (founder of Apple, Inc.) and Jeff Bezos (founder of Amazon.com) were a gifted students. Bill Gates had almost a perfect score on his SATs and Elon Musk has an extremely high IQ. While there is …
Why do people believe intelligence or giftedness makes for socioeconomic success? Read More »
There is no discernible difference between two people who have these IQs. On an IQ test with mean 100 and standard deviation 15, a person of IQ 145 is in the 99.87th percentile, while a person of IQ 150 is in the 99.96th percentile. This means that 13 people out of 10,000 scored higher than …
By how much does a person of IQ 150 differ in Intelligence from a person of IQ 145? Read More »
