Increasing Intelligence

[Alpha Prime]

Not having enough REM-sleep will make you stupid.

 

[antireconciler]

what methods are effective... if any are.

Well, the matter of what kind of problem you were trying to tackle, or what kind of thinking you wanted to be better at would be quite relevant (!).

I can understand the feeling of wanting to be more intelligent. For example, sitting in a physics class in college ... it's ridiculous how quick some people are to pick it up and just really get it. I say though that anything they can grasp, I can grasp too, if I have the determination and patience to do so. Nothing people have come up with is THAT amazing. A dumb kid can sit down and learn every scrap of it himself it would just take a really long time.

But if he did, and he really had that kind of drive and passion for what he was doing, it is inconceivable to me that he wouldn't HAVE the necessary intelligence anyway. People are remarkably well suited for what they are passionate about anyway. Maybe there are really bright people who can walk into a really advanced class, not study, not try, and ace every test. But so what? If she doesn't care and isn't passionate then it doesn't matter. Her attitudes would betray that.

But beyond hard work, patience, having a healthy attitude, and pursuing your passions, the rest is kind of inconsequential. Look, my brother plays Go (an intellectual game of the order of difficulty of chess), and he's very high-ranked now, but he admits to me that he plays in part because it helps him feel smart and like he can do something. I think it's everyone's task to weed out those kinds of motivations. Why? (1) Because it makes you happier!!, and (2) the associated stresses you put on yourself to BE smart in fact damage your brain! You want to be smart, promote mental health and happiness!, like others have said. Also, like others have said, THAT isn't a matter of scheduling activities for yourself. You really do have to give up on what you think you need, and the person you think you have to become ... finding loveliness quite already within you, and building from a new foundation which does not know the demands or debts of others or the world, but forms a zone of still air and fragrance, quietness, and timelessness, beyond the windy, churning and thundering world. Tame the winds and part the seas. Stroll in the tall grass and sing a song you like.

If you come across things like supplements which really work for you, let me know. There's no point to intelligence if we can't express our desires to modify the world and our bodies to our liking. It's inevitable that the future will always tend toward greater intellectual and information processing power for ourselves and the species. Connectedness, structure, or consciousness, is more or less the singular human passion. It fills me with a sense of awe to be a part of that.

Make a mistake.

Totally. Put yourself in situations you aren't comfortable with. Quickest way out a rut, and I wish I did it more often.

 

[Sentura]

Do you have suggestions for improving my NP-like intelligence? I'm in a kind of a creative rut right now. Or so I feel.

accept a more laid back attitude for yourself. i'm not saying it will help directly, but if you let things float around, you get the gist of what NP intelligence is about. try not to get your Te to block your Ni.

i'm not sure how well a NJ can emulate the mindset of an NP, but i reckon that is your best bet for now.

 

[FDG]

I think it's very easy to be happier if you're smarter. Smarter=can do things quickly=have more free time to do what you want=happy

 

[Harlow_Jem]

I think it's very easy to be happier if you're smarter. Smarter=can do things quickly=have more free time to do what you want=happy

Intellectualism does not denote one as being more industrious or efficient. In fact, I think intellectuals deal more with not necessarily with depression but with discontentment and varying levels of unhappiness more than they do with happiness in general.

What you're describing is more like "ignorance=bliss."

 

[Ghost of the dead horse]

Intellectualism does not denote one as being more industrious or efficient. In fact, I think intellectuals deal more with not necessarily with depression but with discontentment and varying levels of unhappiness more than they do with happiness in general.

What you're describing is more like "ignorance=bliss."

In my case, I might be considerably happier with more intelligence. I really agree to FDG here. I often spend at least 3-4 hours a day doing something complex, something I'd fit in 1 hour given the right boost of intelligence. The slowness of my thought gives me pain and unhappiness.

Hell, I'll start making those things in 1 hour. I think it would be a useful practice to get my intelligence up. The quality will be what it will be.

I already enjoy talk about many unintelligent subjects in many situations, so I wouldn't think I'd become more detached of the people around me.

 

[FDG]

Intellectualism does not denote one as being more industrious or efficient. In fact, I think intellectuals deal more with not necessarily with depression but with discontentment and varying levels of unhappiness more than they do with happiness in general.

What you're describing is more like "ignorance=bliss."

You're wrong. Intelligence is (also) defined as the ability to understand things more quickly. Thus, it's easy to find ways to make things more quickly, if you're smarter. If you're unhappy and don't feel like doing anything, well that's not a trait that's included in intelligence.

Not that I didn't speak about "intellectualism", which is separated from intelligence. I'm merely saying: take a task of complexity level equal to A, and take two similar people (thus, not depressed) with 25 points of IQ of difference, you can bet that the smarter one will be quicker. Even if you're not "industrios", if you aren't and you're dumb, you're pretty much fucked, but if you aren't and you're smart, you will likely be able to support yourself quite easily anyway.

 

[antireconciler]

Intellectualism does not denote one as being more industrious or efficient. In fact, I think intellectuals deal more with not necessarily with depression but with discontentment and varying levels of unhappiness more than they do with happiness in general.

It seems like an intelligent person may have to deal with issues rather clearly (in virtue of their intelligence) that a less intelligent person would not be bothered by simply because they are less able or willing to grasp the issues as precisely. But SINCE they are more intelligent than average, they have fewer resources which deal with the concerns they have, since fewer people will have dealt with them. So, any particular issue they find themselves facing could conceivably take them longer to deal with simply because they are more likely to have to derive the answers themselves. It doesn't help that they are smarter because the issues themselves arose from that intelligence.

This may or may not be true, but it seems like an argument that could be made.

The slowness of my thought gives me pain and unhappiness.

I know the feeling, but suspect impatience and unacceptance and possibly lack of sleep as the source of pain. These things don't become problems until we are cranky or feeling unforgiving.

 

[FDG]

It seems like an intelligent person may have to deal with issues rather clearly (in virtue of their intelligence) that a less intelligent person would not be bothered by simply because they are less able or willing to grasp the issues as precisely. But SINCE they are more intelligent than average, they have fewer resources which deal with the concerns they have, since fewer people will have dealt with them. So, any particular issue they find themselves facing could conceivably take them longer to deal with simply because they are more likely to have to derive the answers themselves.

It's up to them if these "issues" bother them. Trying to find an answer to a complicated scientific question or problem is not something that usually deters from the happiness of a person; usually "smaller", cumulated problems are those that interfere the most (lack of resources, lack of home, lack of job, lack of friends, criminality, bad health) with happiness, problems that smarter people are much less likely to have, on average. I think it has yet to be proved that neuroticism (which is what you speak about in your post, for example) and intelligence are correlated. If you look at "geniuses", you will find both very good-natured people, and neurotic ones.

 

[nanook]

intelligence is not a tool and because of that it can't be applied at will. it's who you are, so you must maintain it by means of intrinsic authenticity. if you abuse it for purposes (motivations) that are too partial or that are even contradicting to most of your nature, it will break in two phases. the first is functional corruption, meaning you use intelligence to justify and obfuscate ignorant idiocy, the second is structural corruption, meaning concentration disorders, writers blocks and so on... the point is, that a type of intelligence does not imply it's purpose, so what ever you can do best, initially or apparently or because other tasks are not known or possible or asked for in your psychosocial or practical setting, is not necessarily the right job for your mind. in that case idling is much more healthy, than working out.

i like to use the word "efficient intelligence", to refer to the part of the intelligence that produces (the best possible) valid (uncorrupted) result, as opposed to the intelligence which is merely a potential, but which produces invalid (corrupted) results. both show up as about equal in IQ tests, but the latter does not show in common sense or worldview.

the trouble with self invented words is: just because they are beautiful and literally obvious, people wont understand them right away.

 

[sunset5678]

I always wondered about ways to increase intelligence too, even as a little
kid I would be daydreaming about things I wanted to do but just couldn't s-
eem to get the resources for to learn them...when I was in my early twenties
I realized it was just because I was looking too hard...I went through a brief
identity crisis where I just wanted to give up and be a regular, ordinary part-
ying, shopping college age kid, I lived it for a while but it just kept seeming
to me like something was missing then i realized I was in another rut so i tur-
ned to daydreaming and fantasizing or going out and wandering around to see
where I ended up then I just stumbled on the things I needed, I didn't care
about possibilities of criticism or failure because they were things I had a pas-
sion for doing. Even if I didn't end up getting to do as much as I wanted with
them in the real world I didn't care, to an ENTJ getting to do things you've
dreamed about is like waking up to realize a dreams became real life. Doesn't
seem rational, in fact maybe a teensy bit like grandure, a word that never
really crossed my mind as a kid...when you find yourself wondering if you pre-
fered daydreams to real life is like realizing its not the innocent days anymore.

Funny how intelligence isn't something you can pull out of thin air, but things
you've thought about doing and forgotten about over time stay with you...its
funny how random thoughts that pass as quick as they started can have an
impact on your life like ten years later or so. When I was bored and went to
watch a movie in another language to kill time I remembered I wanted to learn
the language as a teenager because a book I read was set in the country th-
at spoke it and when I found the stuff to learn it then it lead to being interes
ted in other things that made me bounce ideas off of them that I could apply
in the real world I felt like the scene from Wicked where Elphaba is chanting
over the broom and nothing happens so Glinda asks well, where are your wings, what if you're not as powerful as you think you are? then glindas like
sweet oz when the broom levitates and Elphabas like didn't I tell you? when
i realized I was into reading classics and stuff and things that boosted my i.q
i realized I just wasn't satisfied with things and found more 'real world' things
I was good at because daydreaming drew me to them. i guess i've realized
you don't always get to do things the first time you think of them for a reason
and some things aren't meant to be explained. sometimes I wondered why i
was like this because everyone else was so satisfied with the present and
mediocracy and didn't care about adventure and things in general like seeing
big cities and stuff like that either. i never let on that I felt like an oddball.

 

[Serendipity]

Totally. Put yourself in situations you aren't comfortable with. Quickest way out a rut, and I wish I did it more often.

Just don't do it too often or you may come to the point where you put yourself into those situations all to often and do not know the difference from what you would've done and what you are doing.

Believe me, it's not a good course.

 

[Ghost of the dead horse]

Thanks, inspiring advice. I'll try it!

 

[ColonelGadaafi]

The OP is not defining intelligence to begin with. So i am going to assume you are speaking of problem-solving and the level of understanding which is the generalized definition. There is no way you can alter your brain to have a positive increase in intelligence in contemporary times.. you can however improve cogitation and concentration.. which are compensating factors to a high level of intelligence. These will allow for proficient problem-solving and slower-pace understanding. There are also various concept that would help in the long run as it has been mentioned.


Also many people seem to have the notion that intelligent people are supposedly miserable because of a lack of mutual understanding with average and stupid people.. which makes no sense at all. These inviduals empathize too much on connecting intellectually... they are bound to be disspointed with humanity in general all the time. Besides a smart person would be able to effectively eliminate the negative factors, and would not have put themselves in a marginalized position in the first place.

 

[Salomé]

intelligence is not a tool and because of that it can't be applied at will. it's who you are, so you must maintain it by means of intrinsic authenticity.

If it's who you are then why do you need to maintain it?
That doesn't make sense. If it's intrinsic to your being then there wouldn't be much you could do one way or the other to alter it.

It is a tool, in the sense that it is a means to an end. Not an end in itself. What value is intelligence if it isn't applied?

It's up to them if these "issues" bother them. Trying to find an answer to a complicated scientific question or problem is not something that usually deters from the happiness of a person; usually "smaller", cumulated problems are those that interfere the most (lack of resources, lack of home, lack of job, lack of friends, criminality, bad health) with happiness, problems that smarter people are much less likely to have, on average. I think it has yet to be proved that neuroticism (which is what you speak about in your post, for example) and intelligence are correlated. If you look at "geniuses", you will find both very good-natured people, and neurotic ones.

How many geniuses have been happy, contented sorts, and how many have killed themselves?

Your argument is fallacious. You are saying that trying to find the answer to a complicated scientific question isn't a factor in the happiness of the average individual. But we are not talking about the average individual. The average individual doesn't trouble himself with such thoughts. Maslow, etc.

K R Jamieson amongst others has written about the correlation between genius and mental illness.

Health is found in homeostasis and balance, not at the edge of the bell curve.

I think it's very easy to be happier if you're smarter. Smarter=can do things quickly=have more free time to do what you want=happy

Having more time can just mean having more time to be bored, unless you are lucky enough to find a sufficiently stimulating environment, and those become harder to find with increasing intelligence (of necessity). Boredom makes people unhappy.

And no matter how intelligent you are, you will always run up against the limitations of human frailty. The higher your standards are, the more disappointment you will face. The larger the questions you grapple with, the greater your exasperation at their seeming insolubility.

 

[FDG]

If it's who you are then why do you need to maintain it?
That doesn't make sense. If it's intrinsic to your being then there wouldn't be much you could do one way or the other to alter it.

It is a tool, in the sense that it is a means to an end. Not an end in itself. What value is intelligence if it isn't applied?


How many geniuses have been happy, contented sorts, and how many have killed themselves?

Your argument is fallacious. You are saying that trying to find the answer to a complicated scientific question isn't a factor in the happiness of the average individual. But we are not talking about the average individual. The average individual doesn't trouble himself with such thoughts. Maslow, etc.

K R Jamieson amongst others has written about the correlation between genius and mental illness.

Health is found in homeostasis and balance, not at the edge of the bell curve.



Having more time can just mean having more time to be bored, unless you are lucky enough to find a sufficiently stimulating environment, and those become harder to find with increasing intelligence (of necessity). Boredom makes people unhappy.

And no matter how intelligent you are, you will always run up against the limitations of human frailty. The higher your standards are, the more disappointment you will face. The larger the questions you grapple with, the greater your exasperation at their seeming insolubility.

You know that you argued two opposing point of views in the two different quotes, right?

 

[Salomé]

You know that you argued two opposing point of views in the two different quotes, right?

No. I was just attacking errors in logic. If you find any in mine, feel free to do the same.

 

[Mole]

Everyone wants more money, a better house, a better job, a slimmer figure, a better spouse, a better education, even more friends.

But no one wants to be more intelligent.

This is because we perceive in gestalts.

And our horizon is the edge of our gestalt.

We can see no further. And it makes no sense to see any further because in a gestalt we see everything that is.

And this is true of all gestalts.

And if by some magic we were able to become more intelligent, we would still only be able to see all there is. After all, there is nothing else.

 

[Ghost of the dead horse]

^ Closely related to Intellect Denial.

 

[Ulaes]

living 4 weeks with nice people, doing gymnastics in the morning, doing some therapeutic trance work twice a week, being in nature, trying to find myself - doubled tripled my ability to read and focus/comprehend.

4 weeks of sitting alone at home with the noisy computer, being annoyed by other Internet users, hunting down random useless bits of information - took it away again.

One of the simplest thing is to play mind chess - either with yourself, and/or, others around you. Streeeetch an idea.

Not having enough REM-sleep will make you stupid.

noted.

If you come across things like supplements which really work for you, let me know.

meditation: focusing soley on the sensation of your breathing. But its really difficult and in most cases vie tried it ive either eventually given up or fallen asleep. But the when i succeeded felt a sensation of intense rejuvination through my brain, the feeling you have when you finally start ot go to sleep only x 1000000. afterwards I noticed a significant change, even after some of my half attempts. you "awake" in a state of focus. in fact, it takes awhile to come out of it. once, i had to stare at a blade of grass for a few mintues, gradually letting more and more thoughts enter my mind. my decision making became significantly more efficient, i made all the right ones without zoning out or getting distracted. such clarity and focus was totally alien to me. it doesnt change the make-up fo your intellect but it will allow you to utilize it.
but i read it needs to be done twice daily for at least twenty minutes to have a longterm/ongiong benefit. ive never been that dedicated...