Increasing Intelligence

[Alpha Prime]

Not having enough REM-sleep will make you stupid.

[antireconciler]

Originally Posted by Edge

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.

Originally Posted by Gtzk

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]

Originally Posted by Santtu

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]

Originally Posted by 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

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."

[Santtu]

Originally Posted by Harlow_Jem

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]

Originally Posted by Harlow_Jem

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]

Originally Posted by Harlow_Jem

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.

Originally Posted by Santtu

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]

Originally Posted by antireconciler

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.