Why are extremely bright people (aka super geniuses) generally nuts?

[MrsBugi]

By nuts, do you mean eccentric?

Perhaps because they aren't constrained by society's expected rules of functioning, since they're so far beyond it...? (muahahahahahahahaha 😛 )

 

[remagavon]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: Sluggo
I think they seem that way because they cant relate to the general stupidness of the general population.

It makes them kind of socially inept.

Can you imagine Stephen Hawking trying to post here while trying to imagine how the brains of the other posters were functioning?




OP-So I found a really hot new nebula.

Post 1 PICS?

Post 2 Shens

Post 3 I like pie

Post 4 Its not as cool as BMW's new nebula

Post 5 Do they take coupons?

Post 6 STFU n00B

1. Find Nebula
2. Post about it on ATOT
......
5. Profit

Or something like that perhaps?

Fine line between genius and insanity. Ted Kaczynski - very smart guy. Got into Harvard at age 16. The letter bombs had intricate, tiny components, which he designed and custom built himself.
He saw a lot of problems with the world, but didn't see it in his capacity to change it effectively. For example, in his Manifesto, he speaks of how technology may only serve to cause increased suffering in humans. That's part of why he opposed it - he didn't want humanity to suffer.
Unfortunately, in his frustration, sending bombs to people was the best he could come up with to try to initiate change.

That can be a recurring issue too with "super geniuses" - they are far more aware of problems society faces every day, but it frustrates them that 1) No one else can see these seemingly apparent problems and 2) One person can never hope to correct all these ills in a lifetime. So the geniuses are left with this nagging, constant awareness, but no one else will believe them, or even be able to comprehend them. The genius knows at the same time that he's isolated from society because of this, and so his ability to enact change is even more limited. It can just become incredibly frustrating, and it pushes some over the edge.

Bingo.

 

[Xyo II]

Nature gives you one thing and takes away another. When your mind is fixated on 2000 different paths of thought, the person standing next to you isn't as close in your conscience as what you really want your mind to focuse on. Social nuances and polite answers are a luxury of passive minds. There are those intellectually gifted that choose to acknowledge social graces, but what it comes down to is your unique personality; your personality and your intelligence are two very different things, and they can directly affect each other. Newton chose to shun relationships with people to focuse on his work. Einstein was an opposite. Two different personalities. There are also different types of intelligence, but it's more difficult to explain the difference and there are discrepancies of how many "kinds" of genius there are and what exactly constitutes a "genius".

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Einstein Element
Nature gives you one thing and takes away another. When your mind is fixated on 2000 different paths of thought, the person standing next to you isn't as close in your conscience as what you really want your mind to focuse on.

Naw, life isn't as fair as that. Some people truly have it all, while others are screwed on many levels. It's true that super-geniuses have a higher incidence of craziness, but there are plenty of people who are geniuses, popular, rich, and all the rest, and plenty of others who are broke, stupid, crazy, and disagreeable. I suppose believing that life ultimately balances out is good for society, but it's not true.

Equivalent trade is bunk.😛

 

[Sluggo]

Originally posted by: jagec

Originally posted by: Einstein Element
Nature gives you one thing and takes away another. When your mind is fixated on 2000 different paths of thought, the person standing next to you isn't as close in your conscience as what you really want your mind to focuse on.

Naw, life isn't as fair as that. Some people truly have it all, while others are screwed on many levels. It's true that super-geniuses have a higher incidence of craziness, but there are plenty of people who are geniuses, popular, rich, and all the rest, and plenty of others who are broke, stupid, crazy, and disagreeable. I suppose believing that life ultimately balances out is good for society, but it's not true.

Equivalent trade is bunk.😛

Well, I see we have someone that doesnt watch Full Metal Alchemist.

 

[ed21x]

Sir Edwin Elgar was a pretty normal guy.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Bill Gates seems normal enough

I wouldn't say Bill Gates is a genius. I'd say he has excellent judgement and intuition, as well as an ambitious personality.

 

[DaShen]

Smart people can be quite normal. Not all of them have to be nuts. OP, you watch too many movies 😉 😛

 

[PingSpike]

Its because ignorance is bliss, and therefore the opposite is a nightmare.

No it seems more like...you know how in RPGs you only get so many skill points, and you have to have less. Well they put all their points into intelligence and not enough into sanity and wisdom. Seriously it seems like everytime I see one of those mensa folks on TV they're socially retarded. I'm trying not to sound jealous here but I saw one that sat on the side of the road with a desk and a sign saying he was looking for a job. He just sat out there all day in a suit, sucking exhaust because he was unemployed. Go work at mcdonalds or a clothing store moron!

 

[JDrake]

because they have a mental disorder

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Bill Gates seems normal enough

err... bill gates isn't really a genius.

i wonder if being a genius means that it takes over more of the brain or takes over parts of the brain that are used for being "normal" and that is what causes it? either that or they just get extremely frustrated that most people can't understand them or what they are doin that it just drives them crazy?

 

[NTB]

As has baeen posted already, mental illness seems to be more prominent in a lot of "smart" people - particularly manic depression.

Also, some of them are simply what most people would call "book smart" - they may be brilliant in their given field, but they haven't got the common sense god gave a tree stump. A mathmetician that can't balance his checkbook...that sort of thing. I've heard that Einstein was like this - had to have his front door painted bright red so he could remember what house he lived in.

Nate

 

[NTB]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Bill Gates seems normal enough

err... bill gates isn't really a genius.

anybody that can make that kind of money has to be either damn bright, or damn lucky - Bill is a bit of both, and was deffinitely in the right place at the right time.

Nate

 

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: Sluggo
I think they seem that way because they cant relate to the general stupidness of the general population.

It makes them kind of socially inept.

I have a few people I know very well, but they don't hang out with me often anymore. All they talk about are movies and sports. 🙁 One of the girls had said that I needed to find a really intelligent girl to go out with because other girls wouldn't understand me. I didn't know how to feel about this. I mean she said it as a compliment I guess, but it was still kind of a burn, too.

What I wouldn't give to be able to relate sometimes and be able to just say silly stuff and get away with it. I mean I can joke around and small talk, and I have many people who respect me, and I have really close friendships, but I can't go into a large crowd and be the life of the party. I wish I could talk about sports to the extent that some of my friends can, but I just can't and I can't get interested in it enough to find out more about it. I know really intelligent people that can do both. They can talk about sports and they can talk about philosophy and literature the next minute. Those people are really intelligent people. I just grew up with strange idiosyncrasies and interests, but that doesn't mean I am any more intelligent than anyone else. People who can function in any situation are the really intelligent people.

 

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
That can be a recurring issue too with "super geniuses" - they are far more aware of problems society faces every day, but it frustrates them that 1) No one else can see these seemingly apparent problems and 2) One person can never hope to correct all these ills in a lifetime. So the geniuses are left with this nagging, constant awareness, but no one else will believe them, or even be able to comprehend them. The genius knows at the same time that he's isolated from society because of this, and so his ability to enact change is even more limited. It can just become incredibly frustrating, and it pushes some over the edge.

Very, very true.

Originally posted by: jagec
Naw, life isn't as fair as that. Some people truly have it all, while others are screwed on many levels. It's true that super-geniuses have a higher incidence of craziness, but there are plenty of people who are geniuses, popular, rich, and all the rest, and plenty of others who are broke, stupid, crazy, and disagreeable. I suppose believing that life ultimately balances out is good for society, but it's not true.

Exactly, there are a few really, really gifted people who have it all. Smarts, talents, looks...

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: DaShen

Originally posted by: Sluggo
I think they seem that way because they cant relate to the general stupidness of the general population.

It makes them kind of socially inept.

I have a few people I know very well, but they don't hang out with me often anymore. All they talk about are movies and sports. 🙁 One of the girls had said that I needed to find a really intelligent girl to go out with because other girls wouldn't understand me. I didn't know how to feel about this. I mean she said it as a compliment I guess, but it was still kind of a burn, too.

What I wouldn't give to be able to relate sometimes and be able to just say silly stuff and get away with it. I mean I can joke around and small talk, and I have many people who respect me, and I have really close friendships, but I can't go into a large crowd and be the life of the party. I wish I could talk about sports to the extent that some of my friends can, but I just can't and I can't get interested in it enough to find out more about it. I know really intelligent people that can do both. They can talk about sports and they can talk about philosophy and literature the next minute. Those people are really intelligent people. I just grew up with strange idiosyncrasies and interests, but that doesn't mean I am any more intelligent than anyone else. People who can function in any situation are the really intelligent people.

i'm kind of like that too. things that my (few) friends like i'm not really interested in. like sports. i hate sports sure, i could take the time to try to learn or watch, but i'd be bored to death.

 

[Chrono]

Because they are unable to stop thinking about anything and everything that they come across? Over-analyzes things, which then becomes an obsession of some type?
I know this because I have a friend who thinks nonstop about stuff and only calms down when he plays video games that numb his brain down for him.

 

[QurazyQuisp]

Not sure, although you should ask some of the people I work with. A few of the Nuclear Physicists have fallen into the deepend.

 

[Accipiter22]

because we see and understand things about our society that you can't comprehend

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Bill Gates seems normal enough

I wouldn't say Bill Gates is a genius. I'd say he has excellent judgement and intuition, as well as an ambitious personality.

Common conception (based on what I have no idea) is that he's around the 160 mark. This seems reasonable given his enormous interest in IQ. Extrapolating from his standardized test scores he's closer to 140, but those aren't always accurate predictors. Even so, he's at or beyond the 130's to 140's line for 'genius'.

Speaking of genius, I want to mention something about the way that word is tossed about today. I'll excerpt from my capstone project in developmental psych:

One final note concerning intelligence: people often use various words interchangeably when referring to intelligence. Words like gifted, creative, genius, precocious and even intelligent itself, have very specific meanings important to these discussions.
Intelligent, in its most basic definition, means capable of thought (Merriam). Many would qualify the word in various ways; i.e. he?s very intelligent, she lacks intelligence. These uses are imprecise and should be avoided. Either someone (or something) is intelligent (it can think) or it is not. (Tact prohibits me from contemplating where G.W. Bush is placed by those strictures.)
Precocious means just ?early development or maturity? (Perino 3).
Despite its etymology the word genius should not be used to describe personal aspect of an individual. Popularized by Sir Francis Galton in 1869, the term genius is something awarded by society to an individual (living, or more often, posthumously) based on their reputation, or body of work, within a given field of specialty (Galton).
Creative refers specifically to a type of thinking (a sub-set of intelligence if you will). It is perhaps best defined by J.P. Guildford, who distinguishes between convergent thinking (the types of mental processes measured on intelligence tests) and divergent thinking (which included characteristics of fluency, foresight or flexibility) (Gallagher 53). In other words it is the difference between intellectual conformity (process/assimilation/regurgitation) and inventiveness/innovation.
Gifted is a cultural/social term which usually refers to children ??who by virtue of outstanding abilities are capable of high performance? (Marland 9). These abilities were originally from six categories: intellectual ability, creative thinking, academic aptitude, leadership ability, arts and psychomotor ability. Commonly ?gifted? refers to a child from the first two categories, while the term ?talented? is used to denote someone from the last four (Perino 4). Psychomotor ability has been subsequently removed from the list. What I find fascinating is how closely these traits align with the MIs theory (Gardner). Proper use of the above terms would greatly aid in the study and understanding of these concepts, both in this paper and in broader discussion.

My point is that it's society which applies the term 'genius' to people, not really their IQ scores. The use of 140 IQ to represent 'genius' is likely a result of Lewis Terman's studies of exceptional IQ.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Originally posted by: Spook
Many very intelligent individuals tent to focus their intellect on a particular field of endeavor, neglect other facets to their lives.

:thumbsup:

To acheive such focus, they literally abandon normal life interactions and situations, and in some cases never seem capable of returning from "la la land"

 

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: Chrono
Because they are unable to stop thinking about anything and everything that they come across? Over-analyzes things, which then becomes an obsession of some type?
I know this because I have a friend who thinks nonstop about stuff and only calms down when he plays video games that numb his brain down for him.

😉 Sounds like how I was in college. 😉 I did that for 3 years, and then my grades started to be really affected by the constant gaming and playing billiards. My days consisted of working, then going to play video games for 3-4 hours, then going to play pool for 3-4 hours, then TV and video games again. I found that I would get anxious if I didn't keep my mind occupied on repetitive tasks like gaming and pool. I would go to class to turn in homework and take tests. Had to give up gaming totally. Now, I just seem to compensate with neffing and TV. 😉 😛

It really backfired on me by my third year. My GPA is terrible, but I still got a job, so whatever. It does really hinder my plans on going to Med school though. 🙁 I will have to go back to undergrad to do it, and it will take 12-14 years with the plan I want, too. <shudders>

 

[PrinceofWands]

Originally posted by: NTB

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Bill Gates seems normal enough

err... bill gates isn't really a genius.

anybody that can make that kind of money has to be either damn bright, or damn lucky - Bill is a bit of both, and was deffinitely in the right place at the right time.

Nate

Income can be a result of luck, but rarely is IQ a primary factor. You make money by being the correct personality to hold a job that pays well, and remaining dedicated to making money. That, or you're creative enough to do something new. That's it. At most, super succesful people are more likely to be at the high end of average to slightly above. Truly exceptional IQ is a pretty useless money maker.

 

[letdown427]

Social nuances and polite answers are a luxury of passive minds.

That is a great quote.

 

[leon94]

Well because extremely bright people are better than the human race.