#types of intelligence

🌌smart-passing🌌

People just assume you're smart for totally unrelated reasons!

Do you fit into these categories?

you have glasses

you read in public

you chose a so called "prestigious" major

you chose a major that involves math beyond the four fundamental operations, chemistry or biology

you are polite to adults

you used to do above-than-the-average in school

you are shy

you don't even read books, you just buy them!

you dress in a way that your grandmother would approve

Congratulations! According to society you are smart!

Now all you have to do is convince yourself you are smart! Don't worry, the impostor syndrome is just a phase (we hope).

Hey guys. So today, I wanna revisit a topic I already touched upon very briefly on this blog because it's a very important topic to me and it isn't talked about enough.

At school, I was always "the smart kid" because I could do maths and science and I could spell words. One of my best friends in the whole world read literally a whole book every single day, could create the most stunning art in the world, and could argue her opinions so intelligently and coherently that you somehow ended up agreeing with everything she said. However, she wasn't a maths whiz (although she was still pretty good at maths) and she couldn't spell to save her life (bc dyslexia), so she was never seen as smart. It still makes me mad that people constantly underestimate her because she's literally one of the smartest people I know.

There are many different types of intelligence, and you can have wildly different intelligence levels about different things. Somebody can be extremely adept at solving third order differential equations but also think that washing up gloves can be used in the place of oven gloves. Which they can’t, so definitely don’t try that. Other people can play a song after only hearing it once and weave a web of beauty and emotion with every note they play, whilst simultaneously being unable to spell the word DNA.

The point I’m trying to make is that intelligence comes in a variety of forms, and not being “smart” in one area doesn’t mean that you’re not fiercely intelligent at something else. We need to stop measuring intelligence by how well people can add numbers or blow up science experiments and start appreciating the vast range of forms that intelligence can take. There are people out there who are literal geniuses (geniuses? genii? ugh who knows, I’m a maths nerd not a word nerd) and don’t even realise it because they’re so used to measuring their intelligence by just maths and logic that they overlook their own amazing talents in other areas. Not that there’s anything wrong with maths and logic, some of my best friends are numbers (hahaha I need more friends), but maths-y-science-y smartness isn’t the only smartness, and if you open your eyes to all of the different forms of intelligence there are, you’ll start to see genius in the most unexpected places and come to realise that the world is more complicated and beautiful than you ever thought possible.

So yeah. Go out there and be intelligent. Be artistic, prove equations, do the word thing with the letters and spelling, understand emotions, or just be street-smart and laugh at the incompetence of all the other “geniuses” who have awesome talents but literally no survival skills. Bask in the glory of your own intelligence and don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not a genius, because they’ve probably boiled eggs in a kettle at some point and are therefore in no position to judge you.

Psychologist Daniel Goleman Ph.D.

Logical intelligence

Recognizing relationships and patterns, demonstrating sequential reasoning skills, generating and using abstract thoughts Mercury in Virgo & Mercury in Capricorn

Existential intelligence

Exploring the why’s and how’s of life, mulling over deep thoughts, also called “moral intelligence” - Mercury in Sagittarius & Mercury in Aquarius

Interpersonal intelligence

“People smart”, understanding others on a deep level, sensing other’s moods, temperaments, intentions and feelings - Mercury in Libra & Mercury in Pisces

Intrapersonal intelligence

Understanding the self, one’s own thoughts and feelings, enormous amount of self-awareness and self-motivation - Mercury in Cancer & Mercury in Leo

Spatial intelligence

Mental imagery, vivid imagination, spatial reasoning. Daydreaming, engaging in creative endeavors, solving puzzles - Mercury in Gemini & Mercury in Scorpio

Bodily intelligence

SO, nearly everyone you know has probably heard of an IQ test, whether it’s been via ‘official’ tests, or more likely, online quizzes. They all aim to quantify an individual’s intelligence, though it is much harder to actually do so than one may think. This is because, like almost all things about human beings, intelligence is more complicated than people believe it to be.

Though the idea of IQ, or intelligence quotient, was coined in 1912 by psychologist William Stern, it wasn’t the first instance in which a test had been created to determine someone’s wits. The first IQ test was actually made in France, by Albert Binet, in 1904, a way to measure children’s level of preparedness for school. However, while this was a measure of intelligence, it wasn’t quite what they defined as IQ at the time. Only when Lewis Terman, an American psychologist, created the Stanford-Benet Intelligence Scales based on Binet’s work, that IQ was popularly defined as the tests result, mental age, divided by the age of the test taker. This is where common reference of an IQ below 70 being particularly moronic originated, as below 70 was the lowest classification you could give. This test was notably created only with a basis upon white American citizens. This would not be a problem, were this trend not present in tests applied to people from different cultures.

           During the time period in which these tests were created, there was a general consensus that some  races were inferior in an inherent manner, though it was only certain in theory. As this was also a period of great scientific expansion, people leapt at the idea of having this theory corroborated by hard data, and thus the IQ test was set to fill this gap. This way of measuring IQ was directly tied in with the idea that people of color such as Native Americans, Indians, and African Americans were less evolved than those who were pale skinned, and thus data would naturally prove this as fact. One of these early pseudoscientific publications claimed that reaction time was fastest in people of fair skin, thus proving that reaction time increased with evolution, furthermore, another ‘study’ in, coincidentally, 1912, claimed that “the mental qualities of the Negro…shows a woeful lack of power of sustained activity and constructive conduct.” (Bruner, Frank G. (1912),   It was only a matter of time until more official IQ tests were to come into the equation.

           By the 1920’s, IQ tests were gaining popularity, especially in the US, and these tests were quite common, they took a lot of time to complete. Thus they adapted as a written test for the army, with positions given to those of higher IQ. These tests were also implemented in US studies of immigrants, even though some of the participants taking the test may not have known English, making it fairly impossible to get a decent score. The strict Immigration Act of 1924 was put into effect using mainly this study, citing a need to ensure that the IQ of the nation would not be dragged downward. As an result, Ann Frank’s father was likely denied entrance to the US because of these restrictions.

Even though this shit may seem like parts of the past, questions and inconsistencies in culture still are relevant for evaluating whether IQ tests are really accurate, or even measuring intelligence, especially in a world where people still place enormous importance on ‘intelligence’ tests, and often judge people based upon their scores. This is why research by Richard Lynn, a psychologist who’s a known supporter, is still important to pay attention to and discredit. While Lynn is generally not respected by members of his field, his research, at first glance, may seem credible, especially for people who want to believe his theories, and only glance once without considering the reliability of his work. Lynn is the author of several racially slanted IQ studies; his works have been discredited several times by examination of his data, which has been found to be poorly collected and evaluated. His studies often claim that people of darker skin have lower intelligence, making their purpose in propaganda very clear. On top of this, his statements have the tendency to evaluate the worth of people based on the studies which he conducted.

           For one, those original ‘intelligence’ tests were not meant to measure intelligence, but to measure the abilities of French children in order to catch any which were falling behind. The original Binet test was created because of concerns that children would fall behind in the elementary education that had recently became compulsory in France. Much of this was due to the rates of illiteracy, especially in older children. In fact, the whole idea that you can definitely measure intelligence is shaky at best. The idea of intelligence is very nebulous. For example, can you say that this sample question of a modern Binet test, “Why do we have houses?”, is something that measures ‘intelligence’? Or, general knowledge/’common sense’? Also, while there are technically 14 answers (S. M. Mohsin 2002) to this question, there is no doubt that there are other ‘incorrect’ answers that would make sense, especially in cultures that are further removed from Western civilization. It gets even more complicated when you add in the idea of multiple intelligences, such as spatial reasoning vs verbal intelligence.  While it is true that there are definite differences between people’s intelligence (or intelligences), it’s akin to comparing emotional pains in that each is both intimately scaled, and impossible to accurately compare.

The common concept of IQ is inherently flawed. If you took a test only to be disappointed, remember what it is claiming to find is likely not accurate, nor even the correct subject matter, and that trying to compare intelligence is like trying to compare who has gone through the worst in life; it’s an inherently prideful and pointless endeavor, as often no true conclusion can be reached.

Anyway that’s it.

Some stuff referenced...

"The primitive races in America", Psychological Bulletin, 9: 380–390, http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1926-02217-001

Mohsin, Mahsher Abidi Syed Mohammad. Elementary psychology. pg. 210. Asia Pub. House, 1967.

Humans are passionate creatures; it is one of the things that separates us from beasts.  There is a fire that grows to the point of volcanic eruptions while gaming.  When you have put your effort and time into a game only to be cut short by mistakes it is hard to control your temper.  

The first thing about controlling your rage is recognizing it is there.  If you deny it and say you are just a little upset then scream at the game, you most definitely are having issues recognizing your rage.  

The ways you can recognize rage:

1.       Your breathing has changed.  Either quicker or slow and deliberate, you have become conscious of your breathing pattern.

2.       Your jaw or shoulders are tense.  The jaw being tense can be felt in your temple, while your shoulders can pinch at the side of your neck.  You may not be a violent type, but this physical tension can be toxic to your own health.

3.       The game has drained you of joy.  You are doing a “hail Mary” attempt to reconcile a score, a point, a match.  Point is you aren’t having fun and more likely to be upset.

4.       You are screaming.  Whether you are in a call with the people in game or not, if you are screaming you are raging.

5.       You feel the need to type to justify your actions. You don’t need to explain anything. It is a game.  You aren’t their teacher.  If you mess up, then learn from it.  If someone else messed up, then you typing messages at them won’t fix it. Regardless of the information you present, it will not change anything.

Now that you can recognize it, you need to control it. First and foremost you need to understand video games are for leisure.  The esports scene is competitive and pays. You may be a streamer making income off of your content, but if you lose your cool then you can lose sponsors.  If you take the game seriously that is great!  Everyone loves a great teammate who will do anything to win a game.  Your motivation can dictate how your rage comes up.

In example: You love playing ranked games of Hearthstone.  You are on a 6 win streak but get cut short.  You proceed to lose the next 8 games.  You are upset by this.  The beauty of the system is you can’t type to people, just spam emotes and those can be squelched.  Consider getting something to review your games to watch where you could improve. Sometimes you get a bad draw, other times there are ways to play something better.  It is your ability to remain objective to get better that can help with this kind of rage.  Always take a loss as an opportunity to grow as a player.  

Another example: you are in a dungeon run for Guild Wars 2 with an inexperienced player and a single friend.  You need the group to get through the dungeon but none of your other friends are available.  The new players will die repeatedly and may not be privy to your experience.  Get off your high horse to explain before the dungeon run in chat.  Let them know how the run is supposed to go and set them up for success.  If you are mean to an inexperienced player, just remember you used to be that player to someone else.  Be a mentor that the community wants.

Final example: You are in a ranked game of League of Legends.  You are in your final game of your series.  If you win, then you are promoted.  You are with a group that made some questionable bans and picks.  You chose not to speak in a polite manner to get a great team comp and you also didn’t dodge the game.  Now you are 17 minutes into the game.  Mid has died 3 times and lost their tower.  The jungle is far behind and unable to help anyone. You won your lane by not feeding the enemy team, but you haven’t roamed and aren’t fed.  Your mid wants to surrender and you are livid that nobody wants to try to win.  This is a very real scenario.  Sometimes you just need to understand that there are things out of your control and play the game “law of averages”.  Play more games. You will lose, but you will also win.  Not every game is critical.  You aren’t going to die from losing.  Complaining will only ruin your mood for the next game.  Breathe.  Make sure you have eaten and drank.  Take a break from the game if you haven’t.  You can be just as much of the problem as your “feeding noob team”.  Think of different ways to win or rotations.  Don’t get hung up on mistakes. You are human and will make a lot of them in your lifetime.