Genius is colorful

Genius sometimes acts out.

Lots of people with genius find it hard to stay in the lines. This is not because they don’t care about other people’s feelings.

Photo by Sharon Pittaway on Unsplash

“Have I gone mad? “

“I’m afraid so, but let me tell you something, the best people usually are.”

― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Many people think that talented individuals act out intentionally. In fact, the reverse is true. Most often gifted individuals are trying very hard to fit in. They simply don’t see the logic of many behavioral restrictions.

Genius is different

“You can't just leave the really smart kids to fend for themselves — they'll flounder. “ — Shava Nerad

Most people (average IQ of 100) would find it hard to carry on a meaningful scientific collaboration with someone who has Down Syndrome (average IQ 50). In fact, Western society artificially, (and needlessly), restricts many people who are in the intellectual minority from the workplace.

Unfortunately, this intellectual conformity does not only apply to people on the lower end of the IQ spectrum, but also people who are on the high end of the IQ spectrum. Most workplaces deviate to the cognitive norm, and do not account for different ways of seeing the world.

Someone considered genius-level IQ (140 and above) will find themselves working with people who are equally divergent in intellectual ability from them, as a person with Down Syndrome is from the general population. In fact, is one of the ironies of genius, that to the average person, it most often appears to be intellectual disability.

As Shava Nerad with an IQ of 185 summarized in this lovely article:

Researchers such as Miraca Gross have shown that children who are highly and profoundly gifted have the same social problems integrating with peers of other IQ levels as kids the same standard deviations on the other tail of the bell curve. So, a child with an IQ of 145 should have about the same emotional adjustment and communications issues as a child with an IQ of 55.

You can't just leave the really smart kids to fend for themselves — they'll flounder. I hate to think I might have the same issues as a kid with an IQ of 15 or below — the model has to break down. But my childhood was not fun.

Really really bright people simply don't see the world in the same ways, and our ability to translate to another person's models has to be rigorously trained. It doesn't come naturally, and it isn't an aspect of empathy or emotional intelligence per se. It's cognitive modeling.

Consequently, most high-IQ people are disinclined to view work and career as a metric of intellectual achievement. They truly understand how difficulties with conformity, can unnecessarily impede societal performance.

They are also more likely to have empathy for someone with intellectual disabilities.

Genius is not insanity

There are undoubtedly some high-IQ individuals whose behavior was harmful to themselves or others.

The world is a big place. We must conclude that it is possible to be smart, AND mentally ill. We are in no way advocating historical examples of extreme behaviors. If you want to cut off your ear, jump into a volcano, or stop showering in the name of genius, you will have to find another article to justify it.

Unfortunately, mental illness, or health, is more difficult to define for someone who is genius level. The American Psychiatric Association defines mental illness as “distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities”. But we’ve already pointed out that this definition describes a high-IQ person’s everyday life.

People who are genius-level are routinely told they are wrong when they are right. This is functionally equivalent to being gaslighted, a psychological torture technique.

Consequently, someone who is high IQ must learn very early on to stop defining themselves by other people’s logic. It is any wonder that they have difficulty finding the borders of when they are actually wrong? As Paul Coojimans points out, genius can be functionally defined by “resistances to narrowing mammalian phenomena”.

If you cannot rely on other people’s experience to see your world, you must discover its borders yourself. Sometimes that looks a bit silly. Sometimes you have to use 18 napkins at a meal to invent the 21st century :)

Conclusion, Genius is colorful

Delinquent savants don’t color within the lines. This is not because they are intentionally trying to be difficult, it’s because the borders of their worlds are differently shaped.

Geniuses are very likely to point out unpleasant truths, try creative living arrangements, underperform, overreact, and obsess over seemingly trivial facts. This is okay. One might even say it’s part of the deal.

#delinquentsavants #todreamalife #neurodiversity #genius #neuroscience